Plus, it keeps the whole organization more up to speed. It makes me more knowledgeable and helps the company appear more proactive. Although many law firms may lag in their own on-line contribution, lawyers make good use of case studies and regulations posted on government, court and law society Web sites. Last year, for instance, the Federation of Law Societies launched a virtual law library. As of January, there were two million hits.
Several actions are under way to speed that along.
Juricert, an incorporated company established by the Law Society of British Columbia, is trying to get other provincial law societies to agree to a national digital-signature system for lawyers. This would electronically ensure that the lawyers involved in on-line transactions are bona fide and the information is secure. The banks, too, are working on a way to make electronic money transfers among lawyers feasible, Mr. Feinstein says. Though many law firms have been slow off the mark, there are signs that they're now trying to get up to speed. There was a good showing, for instance, at a recent seminar on Internet strategies held by the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, which represents in-house counsel.