Google Scholar and the Future of Legal Research

We’ve used it a few times before, but Google Scholar (currently in Beta) allows lawyers and researchers a new way to get case law without having to go to the stacks or pay for Lexis.

Which makes us wonder, what does the future hold for legal research?  The needs to search in-house documents aside, what will the growth of the internet bring to the world of small firms or solo practitioners?  Will you one day be able to search, Shephardize and cross reference every opinion, holding, administrative regulation or pending peice of legislation with everything else you need to know about?  How about current cases, or recently filed cases, or news articles or personal dossiers of each attorney arguing a case?

We don’t know, but if the growth of the internet has taught us anything, it is that this information will be easier to find as time goes on.  Not only easier, but faster and cheaper as well.

(Photo courtesy umjanedone’s Flickr page.)

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Legal Marketing

If you’ve been alive recently, you know that social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and linkedin are the end all be all of existence.  Everyone who is anyone is using them at all hours of the day and becoming fully realized human beings capable of super-human feats.

Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration.  But the emergence of these tools has brought up a lot of questions when it comes to attorneys and law firms.   Ethical considerations aside, are there practical benefits for attorneys who use these sites to find new clients or business?

Some attorneys don’t think so.   Many believe the short messages and updates posted on sites like these don’t attract clients.  The thought is that people aren’t going to Twitter to find a lawyer or any other kind of professional.   Is someone going to log onto Facebook and try to find a good plastic surgeon?

They have a point.  These sights may be great for socialization, but for finding the attorney that’s going to help you with your DUI?

Then again, we’re not so sure that using these sites is a lost cause.  Since a lot of (if not most) new clients find their attorney through recommendations from a friend, and these sites make it easier to contact friends, why wouldn’t they use it?  Is it difficult to update your Facebook status and say “I’m looking for a lawyer.  Can anyone recommend one?”  It’s not unreasonable to assume this has, and is, happening now.  (We know from personal experience that many of our Facebook friends often send us questions about legal situations they’re in.)

It’s also not unreasonable to believe that social media friends could then direct the potential new client to the lawyer’s Facebook page.  (Or Myspace, or Twitter, etc.)

We once read that attorneys are much more likely to be pessimists than any other profession.  (Yes, shocking, we know.)  This attitude may serve them in their work, but when it comes to taking advantage of new opportunities, they may be on the tail end of things.   As far as social media goes, like the internet, we don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.  It has potential, and though still in its early stages, we think it is at least worth looking at.

(Photo courtesy Damien Basile via Flickr.)

A Car Accident, Your iPhone and Your Attorney

You can play games, auto-tune your voice, and even make phone calls with it.  But the iPhone isn’t just for fun.  A new application now allows you to assess your legal needs immediately after a car crash.

The Car Incident Assistant app was recently released courtesy of Bott and Co., a law firm in the U.K. specializing in personal injury cases.  The app allows users to automatically pass their crash information on to their attorney (solicitor), and advises them on how to take photographs and record relevant information.  It piggy backs on the iPhone GPS functionality by allowing the user to record the exact location of where the accident happened, and will automatically send the information to the attorneys via e-mail.   It also has a contact list full of roadside assistance operators, rental car companies and health care professionals.   There is even a YouTube video (that you can watch on your iPhone) to help you learn how to use it.

It has apparently led to some success, having already received many 5-Star reviews from users on iTunes.  (For those of you playing at home, iTunes UK is a separate site, and not normally accessible to US users.)

As a free application, the Car Incident Assistant can be seen as a gimick, but we don’t think so.  Even if no one uses the program to record the details of the accident, clients (and potential clients) of Bott and Co. can only be impressed by the firm’s embrace of technology and their desire to help clients at the earliest stages of an accident.

As far as we’re concerned, Bott and Co. is way ahead of the game with this one.  By allowing a client to gather information as it happens, send it to the firm and get a prompt reply, they ensure they stay involved in the case from those crucial beginning moments onward.   A great marketing tool, a wonderful way to give clients an outlet when they are in need, and a pretty cool app to boot.

Well done!

(Photo courtesy William Hook’s Flickr Page)