INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
October 21, 2001
Tom
Mighell
Welcome to Issue #45 of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, a newsletter that delivers relevant and timely legal research information, and other fun stuff, to your inbox every Sunday. If you like what you read, please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to do the same! To subscribe, all you have to do is send an e-mail to ilrw-subscribe@topica.com. It’s free!
The next two weekends are going to be pretty busy for me, so I’m just going to double up on the number of sites rather than write two articles. The next article will be the first week in November…
And away we go…..
News Update
Not much news this week, either…Resources for Corporate Counsel
Martindale.com introduced Corporate.Martindale.Com, this week, an online resource exclusively for in-house counsel. The services include a specialized lawyer locator, a law digest with summaries of laws in different jurisdictions, searches for experts and ADR professionals, and more.
Help Desk
In this space, I want to provide tips and tricks to make your web searching experience easier. This week, a tip on limiting your cookie intake (and no, this isn’t a diet column):If you surf the Internet regularly, you probably have a good collection of files called “cookies” stored on your computer. Cookies are tiny bits of code that websites use to store data about you – each time you visit a site, that site accesses its particular cookie on your computer to gather information about you, such as your password for the site, site preferences, and other personal data. If you find such files an invasion of privacy, there’s a way you can control them.In Internet Explorer, choose Tools, then Internet Options. Click on the Security tab, and click the Custom Level button – scroll through the Settings list box until you find the Cookies section. In the Allow Cookies that are Stored On Your Computer section, you can enable or disable the use of cookies altogether, or you can have IE notify you each time a site attempts to place a cookie on your computer.
In Netscape, choose Edit, then Preferences. Click on the Advanced item in the Category list box to display the Advanced property sheet. In the Cookies section, you have many of the same options as you do in IE.
One warning – if you choose to have your browser alert you each time a cookie is found, you may find yourself becoming increasingly annoyed at the sheer number of cookies you receive during your surfing time – there are a LOT of cookies out there, and they all want to be on your computer.
This area is for you: if you have questions about search engines, websites, or using your computer in general, send me an e-mail and I’ll feature your question in an upcoming issue! (I promise I won’t use your real name…..)
Legally Relevant – Sites on the Internet
Scirus
Elsevier Science created Scirus to concentrate on scientific content only, and to attempt to search not only the Web but also many databases that are part of the Invisible Web. Scirus also searches sites that might contain fee-based content, a nice feature search engines don’t always think about. You can customize your search to include or exclude particular areas of science, as well as particular science sources. A search on “anthrax” in the Biosciences category brought me just over 1,000 results, but I was able to narrow it to a smaller amount by using the “more like this result feature.” A great science resource.Microlaw ($$)
Are you looking to upgrade your office technology? Microlaw can help. Microlaw helps its clients plan and implement automation, technology, and practice development strategies. If you’re interested in converting to a “paperless” office, Microlaw can help with that, too. The company works to analyze your current technology situation and offer suggestions for organizing your office through purchase of new hardware and software programs designed to enhance your legal practice. If you’ve got the cash to drop on new technology, this is a good place to start.eConsumer.gov
This site bills itself as “your site for cross-border e-commerce complaints.” There are links to consumer ombudsmen for fifteen countries, and links for you (or your clients) to file complaints regarding e-commerce with other countries. The site stresses that just because you file a complaint does not mean that another company is going to act on it, but hopefully this is a good start to preventing fraud and other scams in e-commerce. There are also tips for safe shopping online, and other consumer protection information.U.S. Blue Pages
The function of the U.S. Blue Pages is simple – to provide you with telephone numbers (and websites, where available) for federal government agencies and departments. One of the best features of the site comes when you search for local information – just select the city or state you’re searching, run your search again, and get similar information on a local level. A solid reference resource.Public Agenda – Medical Research
Public Agenda is a nonpartisan public opinion research organization, the goal of which is to help leaders and the public learn more about major policy issues. This particular issue of Public Agenda focuses on medical research, and the information presented here is impressive. There’s a lengthy overview of the issue, recent news from major newspapers, and easy to understand pages that frame the issue. A great area is the Public Opinion section, which presents the public’s chief concerns, proposals, and issues on which the public may be confused or misled.The Multilaterals Project
The Multilaterals Project is maintained by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. The original goal of the project was to make available the texts of international multilateral conventions and other environmental agreements. Since that time it has evolved to include treaties in the areas of human rights, commerce and trade, war, and arms control, among others. You can search by keyword, or browse the categories. There are also some helpful articles on researching treaties.C-Span’s Capitol Spotlight
A service of C-Span and Congressional Quarterly, Capitol Spotlight presents information on what’s going on at Capitol Hill on a weekly basis. This week’s issue concerns the Economic Security Act – there’s a story on the debate, and Real Audio clips of speeches, committee meetings, and other videotapes concerning the Act. There’s also a list of Bills to Watch during the week, and a transcript of the weekly chat with a legislative expert.IDTS Industry Profiles
The International Trade Data System (IDTS) is a part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Its goal is, appropriately enough, to provide trade data. These industry profiles (28 in all) provide links to other government websites concerning the industry, and also provide links to non-government websites. For example, selecting the Forestry Industry gives you links to the Department of Commerce, former President Clinton’s Forest Plan, the Forest Service, the American Forest and Paper Association, and many others. If you’re evaluating a particular industry, this is a good place to start.Ready Reference Library
The Santa Cruz Public Library offers this nifty collection of reference material, which consists of information the librarians deem “tricky to find.” As a result, the items listed here are varied and pretty quirky. Find out the weight of one gallon of gasoline, birthday greetings in various languages, and calculating the consumer price index. Some of the entries are particular to Santa Cruz, but you can probably find something you didn’t know here.Youth Law Center
This site is more of a brochure than anything, but it provides some good information if you’re interested in children’s’ rights law. The Youth Law Center strives to stop abuse of children in foster care and juvenile institutions, and improve the treatment of children in out-of-home care. You can review the index of current publications, as well as a brief summary of lawsuits in which the YLC has participated.
I only have one useful site this week, and it might not be useful for most of you right now. I would imagine people aren’t doing a lot of vacation traveling these days, but Free Travel Tips has some great information for you when you decide to go.
Well, that’s it for Issue #45– I hope you liked it! If you did, pass this along to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to subscribe. Also, feel free to drop me an e-mail any time if you have questions, or if you have websites or other topics you want included in a future issue.
Tom Mighell
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