INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
July 9, 2006
Tom Mighell

Welcome to Issue #236 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 visit Inter Alia and fill out the subscription form -- it's free!

Whew! Has it been a month already since the last issue? I'm sorry about that -- but June was one of the busiest months in recent memory for me. I'm back now for two weeks, before I take what I think is a much-needed vacation. This week I'll try to catch up on some of the things I missed telling you last month.

News Update -- from the Inter Alia Weblog

The Strongest Links Takes a Vacation
Well, not a vacation exactly -- because I actually did write an article. But for my Strongest Links column over at Law Practice Today in June, I decided to take a break from law-related web sites, and offer up some suggestions of my favorite sites. The article is called Improvement Sites, but you won't find self-help stuff here; just some really useful sites that will make certain parts of your life -- legal and otherwise -- easier to manage.

Not Just for Libraries
Need a quick cheat sheet for using Google more effectively? Know somebody else who does? Then print out the Google Search Tips at the Librarian Center -- these tips are designed to help library patrons use Google, but there's no reason you can't take advantage of them, too.

Buchmeyer is Podcasting
Well, not entirely. But Dallas' own Judge Jerry Buchmeyer was featured on "A View From the Bench" on the Legal Talk Network. He's reading some of the gems that he publishes each month in the Texas Bar Journal.

Web 2.0 -- A Podcast Primer
It took awhile, but Dennis Kennedy and I have finally released Episode #4 of the Kennedy-Mighell Report -- this one is a Web 2.0 Primer for Lawyers. Hopefully we were able to explain a little bit about some new Web technologies, and how lawyers can take advantage of them. Give it a listen.

The thumb-drive road warrior
I've been talking a lot lately about mobile technology, and how to travel lightly but with all the technological conveniences of home. Here's another way: from Lifehacker, an article on how to Carry Your Life on a thumb drive (or iPod). It gives some great suggestions for utilities you can load on your USB thumb drive, so you don't necessarily have to carry a laptop around with you.

Talkin' about E-Filing
This week, I was privileged to again be a guest on Coast to Coast with J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi. This time we talked about E-Filing, along with guest Laura Ikens of the ABA's Legal Technology Research Center. We talk a little bit about the basics of e-filing, and Laura share some statistics from the LTRC's survey results on the state of e-filing around the country.

Blawgs of the Week
Here are a few of the best weblogs I featured during the month of June:

  • At The Core, a group of bloggers (Nicki Boldt, Bjoern Elberling, and Tobias Theinel) are discussing human rights, humanitarian law, and international criminal law.
  • William McGeveran and Derek Bambauer are both fellows at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, and this summer they are working as law professors. At Info/Law, they are discussing the laws of information, and the convergence of intellectual property doctrine, communications regulation, First Amendment norms, and new technology.
  • Linda Beal, a tax professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, is blogging about tax issues at ataxingmatter. She's especially interested in the role of increased transparency in ensuring that corporations and audit firms comply with the law.
  • Daniel Shaviro is the Wayne Perry Professor of Taxation at New York University Law School. His blog, Start Making Sense, aims to provide "unfair but balanced commentary on tax and budget policy, contemporary U.S. politics and culture, and whatever else happens to come up."
  • Here's another law professor blog for you: the Federal Civil Practice Bulletin is brought to you by Professor A. Benjamin Spencer at the University of Richmond School of Law. As you might expect, he's blogging about federal civil practice and procedure.
  • Terra Nova is a group blog in a BIG way -- nineteen authors, many of them law professors. Together they're talking about news and opinions regarding the social, economic, legal, psychological, and political aspects of "virtual worlds" -- computer-generated, persistent, immersive, and representational social platforms.
  • The Bankruptcy Lawyers Blog is brought to you by consumer bankruptcy attorney Kevin Chern -- as you might expect, he discussing surviving bankruptcy reform and bankruptcy law changes.
  • Big firm Bracewell & Giuliani is blogging: the Energy Legal Blog is "your resource for updates and analysis on national and regional energy issues."
  • The lawyers at McGlinchey Stafford have another blog, this one on a very topical issue -- the Hurricane Law Blog is providing news and opinion from the recovery in the Gulf States.

....Too many to mention this week -- I'll catch up with more from June in the next issue!

Help Desk

Has the size of your Outlook mail folder gotten unreasonable? Is it moving a little slow for your taste? Here's a quick tip on one way to reduce the bloat: get rid of attachments you no longer need. Outlook saves copies of attachments in your Sent Items or Deleted Items folder, if you don't regularly empty them. Here's how to find out the large attachments that may be weighing you down (I know this works for Outlook 2003 -- don't know whether it will work for other versions of Outlook):

In your Inbox, look at the Navigation pane on the left side of your screen. In the Mail Folders, you should have a folder at the bottom called Search Folders; click on it and select Large Mail. You'll get a listing of all mail with large attachments. Now you can delete anything you no longer need. That's all there is to it!

Do you have a question about searching the Internet or your computer in general? Drop me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net – I’ll post your question (don’t worry, I won’t use your real name) and try to get an answer for you!

Caught in the 'Net

Say it Ain't So, SearchSystems

Two weeks ago I presented to the great folks at the Oklahoma Solo and Small Firm Conference, and I mentioned SearchSystems as the go-to site for public records information. Imagine my surprise when, catching up on my reading, I discovered from Genie at the Virtual Chase that SearchSystems had gone commercial. Now, to access the service you'll need a DirectPass, which will set you back $4.95/month or $48.50/yearly; the DirectPass will also get you discounts on premium database searches.

I have to say I'm disappointed by this decision. After all, SearchSystems is, at its heart, just a directory. Not only that, it's a directory of mostly free public records databases. So now you have to pay a fee just to get access to something you can access for free elsewhere. I went to one of the pages of listings in SearchSystems, and I was able to then go to a regular search engine and find, for free, those sites on the Web. Guess I won't be recommending SearchSystems in my seminars anymore.

Legally Relevant – Sites on the Internet

Electronic Surveillance Laws
A page from the terrific National Conference on State Legislatures site, here you'll find the current state of the law in all 50 states on the subject of electronic surveillance. You'll learn whether each law includes photos, videos, cell phones, or computers, and how many parties need to consent for the surveillance to be legal. You'll also find links to the specific state law.

Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center
The Bureau of Justice Statistics compiles "comprehensive information describing suspects and defendants processed in the Federal criminal justice system." Here you can view online analysis of law enforcement, prosecution and the courts, and incarceration; currently the statistics are from 2000-2004. You can also view a compendium of statistics from 2003 back to 1992, and look at other technical and special reports. This is a great place to get criminal justice statistics.

PR Web
PR Web calls itself "the original press release marketing company," and has been offering free online press releases since 1997. You can browse the news releases by country, industry, date, or by subject "tag." In addition to viewing the press release, you can also download them in a PDF file. And if you're a lover of all things RSS, you can subscribe to all of the latest press releases via RSS feed. You can even submit your own press release, after registration.

AOL Government Guide
The tag line of this service is "government services made easy." After you've taken a look here, you'll agree. Just plug in your zip code, and the Government Guide will create a personalized page for you, so you can access different types of government information, for your area and others. The categories include Autos and Licenses, Benefits and Assistance, Community & Home, Consumer Services, Health & Safety, Officials & Agencies, and several others. A useful guide to keep handy.

Federal Judicial Center
Here's another site that does research on our justice system -- the FJC is the education and research agency for the federal courts. The main areas of the site include Publications & Videos, Federal Judicial History, and Educational Programs & Materials. Here you can read the biography of every federal judge, receive information on state and federal judicial education programs, view materials on electronic discovery, and find resources on courtroom technology.

Finally, a few fun and useful sites to start off your week:

Looking to remodel your house of just give that room a certain feng shui? The HGTV Room Planner can help you create a customized floor plan for any room in your house.

RoboClaw is an addicting game, as you use a claw to try go put the ball in the hole.

Well, that’s it for Issue #236 – 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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Questions? New websites? Just want to talk? Send me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net.

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