The March seminar, which drew about 30 people, covered how to use the Internet for legal research, including a discussion of search engines and sites of interest to lawyers. Georges says that eventually all legal data bases will migrate to the Internet, along with court decisions and case law, giving unprecedented access to information about the judicial system. First, though, there are some knotty problems that must be resolved. Even when video conferencing becomes more prevalent, a lawyer might not be sure of who's on the screen. Georges says his Web site is mostly an information source for other lawyers, not a vehicle to promote his practice.
Jurisdictional questions arise if a lawyer in Florida gives advice to someone in another state.
Georges is setting up a virtual office on the Web, complete with animated figures, to demonstrate vividly how a lawyer and client might communicate through a computer. But, he said, it is only for demonstration purposes. I'm not stupid. To get the most out of technology, lawyers are going to have to spend a fair bit of money to equip their offices. They're also going to have to spend time and money learning how to use it.