Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Starting March 1, 2011, Cuyahoga County DR Court Will Send All Notices of Hearings to Counsel by Email

Starting next week on March 1, 2011, the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court will send all notices of hearings to counsel by email. Each attorney practicing before the court is required to complete and submit a form to register his or her email address. 

Cleveland Law Library Hosting Dec. 3rd Tech CLE on Mobile Apps., Cloud Computing and Blogging for Lawyers

Please join us for our upcoming technology CLE on December 3rd called The Web 2.0 Lawyer. For this program, we are bringing back a local law library favorite, Brett Burney of Burney Consultants, who will explain mobile apps. for lawyers and working in the cloud. Brett has a way of making even the most complex technologies easy to understand, and we hope you will take the opportunity to capture his latest insights for lawyers. Our head librarian will also show attendees how to create a blog for their legal practices to showcase expertise, market services to clients, and educate the general public about the legal profession. Our program will provide practical, hands-on knowledge that should help you make your practice more efficient and successful.

Findlaw Has Created a Mobile Website

Legal Current reports that Findlaw has created a mobile website at m.findlaw.com. Findlaw includes a great lawyer directory and articles on major areas of the law. The new site proclaims these features:

"It’s optimized for iPhone and Android smartphones, and is compatible with many popular mobile devices. Unlike other mobile websites which simply shrink their formats to fit a smaller screen, Mobile FindLaw is built to optimize the mobile user experience."

Pick up Your Legal Documents Like Your Meds and Money--At a Drive-Through Window

I've picked up money, food, medicines, beverages, and even books via a drive-through, but legal documents?? Yes-it is true. A Connecticut firm occupies an office in a building that used to have a drive-through restaurant, and it is using the drive-through window to help service clients who need to drop off or pick up documents quickly and easily. According to the article I read from law.com's Legal Blog Watch, the clients love it, and it may be the first service of its kind in the U.S. You can even watch a video to see how the system works. At a minimum, it will save clients time and money parking, but think of all the advantages for clients with disabilities.

New Legal Apps Available for Federal Rules and US Code

William & Mary Law School and The Law Pod have partnered to produce apps for the iPhone and Blackberrys that allow lawyers to download versions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the full US Code, and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. They are working on state codes and hope to launch many other apps. Ten percent (10%) of the revenue from all app sales goes to fund scholarships for needy law students.

LexisWeb's Search Engine Validates Sites It Retrieves

LexisWeb is still in Beta, but you can start using it to search for legal information on the Internet. Yesterday, a Lexis representative told us that Lexis validates legal sites before including them in a list of search results. This means that, as far as Lexis is concerned, the site is authoritative. Interestingly, Wikipedia shows up. Try it out, and see what you find.

Free Enhancements Coming to Lexis.com at the Cleveland Law Library on November 10th

On November 10, 2010, Lexis.com enhancements will arrive at the Cleveland Law Library. I took a look at the new interface yesterday, and the changes are easy to see, use and understand. All of the basic features and search functions are still the same. Some of the new changes include less tabs at the top, more drop down arrow menus, and reorganization of the quick search boxes on the screen to the right hand side. The best feature that I liked is that more of our Law Library's content will be visible when patrons choose a tab, such as the Ohio or Legal tabs. If you use Lexis often, you will know that each category under a tab (e.g., Cases, Statutes...) currently provides a selected list of databases, with a link to "View More." Because more databases will be listed, there will be less "View more" links, which themselves are being moved to the top of the list, instead of the bottom. These changes will make it easier to find what you are looking for. If members need help using the new interface next month, just ask our crack staff at the front desk.

Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier--New Book in at Law Library

The 2010 ABA book entitled Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier has just reached our Law Library. The table of contents covers everything from posting information on personal and professional sites, like Linked In and Facebook, to the ethics of friending clients. If patrons were not so hungry to read this book, I would have taken it home tonight. Members can get on the list to borrow this book by calling the Law Library at 216-861-5070 or by emailing us at lawlib@clelaw.lib.oh.us.

A new article from Columbus Business First suggests that more lawyers are joining or creating virtual law firms with huge benefits. According to the attorneys who were interviewed from Ohio and elsewhere, virtual firms offer the opportunity to work less, eliminate overhead costs, spend more time with clients, and bill less. The last benefit may not seem like a benefit, but the lawyers indicated that lower fees means more clients find the attorneys affordable, thereby garnering the attorneys more clients and raising their income. Thanks to the OSBA for the link to this article.

Courts Are Seeing More Use of Social Media By Judges and Courts

A study I reviewed today from the Conference of Court Public Information Officers (CCPIO) indicates that judges and courts are seeing more use of social media by jurors and others appearing in their courtrooms. A link for the survey can be found on the home page of the CCPIO website or in the September 15th issue of FYI from ohiojudges.org. Some of the media judges and jurors are using include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iphones, blogs, etc. Not only are a surprisingly high percentatge of judges using these utilities in their personal lives, but some courts are even creating forums using these tools to distribute court information. The survey underlying the report concludes that these numbers will increase and recommends that courts and judicial associations develop online resources, best practices and other tools to "maintain the delicate balance between free speech and open access to courts on one side and fair trial issues on the other."