According to Joe Taylor, director of the Center for Legal Advocacy at McGeorge, students are being taught how to use computer projection systems that allow computer images to be displayed on a big screen, realtime court reporting and a CD-ROM system that presents exhibits and demonstrative aids through the computer projection system. While such programs are helping students transition into the Information Age, they still don't solve the ongoing problem students will face as freshman lawyers out in the real world, where their bosses most likely won't be as technologically literate. These young attorneys, who may know how to use advanced technology to present evidence, will find that their employers may not utilize this kind of hardware and software, and neither do the court systems in which they work. Perhaps the first step in preparing for the inevitable arrival of computer technology, however, is a bit of research on what is currently available. Here is a rundown of some of the latest legal services and programs that will automate legal offices and courtrooms in the 21st century.
Lawyers do a lot of research.
Thus, a good search engine would cut down on the number of hours legal assistants have to spend looking up citations and related references. It would also be useful when attorneys are in court and have to look up information on the fly or pull up a quick reference. Type in a name of a case and it performs wild card searches instead of going into myriad directories. It has a front end similar to Yahoo or Lycos and acts similarly. It supports Microsoft Word 7.0, Works 4.0, Microsoft Office Binders, Paradox 5.0, WordPerfect 7.0, PowerPoint 7.0 and Access 7.0.