If you've read the legal press lately, you will have noticed that the Internet has begun to insinuate itself into every aspect of the legal profession. Lawyers, like practitioners in healthcare, finance and other specialized knowledge areas, are recognizing the value of creating accessible electronic offices using the World Wide Web. These virtual offices, tethered by private web-based networks called Extranets, bring a range of communication and organizing benefits to case work.

Several key benefits were discussed in our article "Internet Solutions for Joint Defense," which appeared in the last issue of IDM. This sequel looks at the same technology from three different perspectives:

• a partner in a large, international law firm
• a corporate general counsel
• a solo practitioner

The ideal system configuration and the applications of greatest value to these practitioners will, of course, vary by role. But common to all is the fact that a carefully designed and executed web site, configured as a secure Extranet, has the potential to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the web-savvy lawyer's practice.

Large Firm Practice

Attorney/Client Online Contact Base

For a partner in a large firm interested in using a web site as an effective marketing tool, consider using the firm's presence on the Internet to keep clients up-to-date. Whether negotiating a real estate deal, updating SEC filings or litigating a large and complex discrimination action, the client wants to be kept current about what is going on, how the matter is progressing and, often, what the costs will be. Yet time spent handholding a client is time away from handling the client's matter.

The firm's website can be configured to meet this demand for each lawyer-client contact. Using their home or business computer and a standard web browser, client's can query status and costs securely through a set of form-based screens. The web architect can set up content management tools to automatically update client-accessible information as part of the lawyer's routine documentation and billing activity, with no incremental work.

Behind the public access website, a secure client area can be created. The subdirectory can be readily accessed by typing in the web address of the firm, a slash, and the name of the private client area, best identified by a confidential code, as for example: http://www.thelawfirm.com/manning/11@92. Since the information in this area is likely privileged and confidential, access must be further protected by a unique username and password known only by the lawyer and the client. And if the site will be used to communicate sensitive and potentially privileged information, it can be designed to incorporate an encryption system to protect data in transit.

Giving client access to information in this fashion, through a secure web environment rather than directly through a firm's computer network or intranet, prevents breach of the firm's internal security and firewalls and provides a complete layer of anonymity for clients.

The range of information and features available can be as broad and varied as the services the lawyer provides to that client. Here to spur the imagination are several examples.

A document library can include contracts or briefs or regulatory filings, progressing from draft to final. Client comments or edits can be transmitted or posted. In a matter which may involve input from several sources within a client organization, everyone is given the opportunity to review the material with the confidence that all the contributors are operating from the same page.

A message or bulletin board is useful if there are a number of individuals within the client organization or attorneys in the firm who need to provide input on a given matter but who may be located in different office locations.

A message or e-mail feature can be set up which allows the client to send queries or feedback after reviewing information or documents directly from the browser window to a particular attorney. The direct e-mail feature in the site gives the client the opportunity to provide feedback which goes to a mailbox designated by the lawyer for just that purpose, allowing the lawyer to keep track of client contacts in an organized fashion.

Standard forms for such legal matters as corporate or real estate transactions can be created dynamically on the site and, for certain legal services, the client information can be databased. This enables parties to conduct logical queries, for example by date range and keyword.

Research material or relevant law and business articles or government regulatory updates can be posted. Such information feeds, tailored to the needs of particular client, can enhance the attorney-client relationship in areas the firm already services for the client and can lead to new client service opportunities

Finally, for a demanding corporate client who insists on tight budgeting or detailed breakdown of fees and disbursements, the billing files can be posted to the site for review by the client on a regular basis.

With these tools in a customized format, the lawyer in a large firm can effectively use the Web to bypass some of the bottlenecks of big firm practice and keep "hands-on" with client contact - without sacrificing procedural checks and balances crucial to confidentiality.

Corporate Counsel

Managing The Local Counsel Network Online

For the general counsel's office in a moderate to large size corporation, keeping on top of important legal matters can be its own logistical nightmare. The continuous flow of paper and countless phone calls can force the lawyers to spend more time trying to remain organized than actually attending to legal matters - or at least monitoring them.

Time zones and geography create communication obstacles, as outside counsel may be located across the country - or the globe. The available tools to keep in touch and exchange information, phone and fax and mail, require a dedication of enormous time, resources and personnel. Costs can quickly become unmanageable.

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