But Jaycox, too, sees benefits in e-mail communication. Last fall, he began distributing wireless BlackBerry PDAs to attorneys throughout the firm. And the attorneys, he said, are standing in line to get them. It really helps the attorneys stay in touch with the office, he said. It helps them use time that was previously dead time.
Various signs point to electronic communication becoming even more prevalent in the future.
For example, in just a few years, attorneys may be e-filing complaints to California s trial courts. In addition, a new federal law recently gave the digital signature the same legal validity as a signature penned in ink. And in Michigan, legislators are considering a bill calling for the creation of a special cybercourt to handle cases involving technology-related companies. The prospect of cybercourt is not news to attorney Mark Radcliffe, a co-author of Internet Law and Business Handbook. He sees such efforts as the wave of the future for all kinds of law.