Q 1.

4 Write an essay on the E-Lawyering and discuss the uses of the computer and
IT in Legal Profession.

Answer >

INTRODUCTION:

Like all the aspects of life, computers have made a radical change in the legal
profession as well. The traditional image of a lawyer's job is that of a lawyer
poring through stacks of paperwork. While paperwork still is a reality, law practice
has changed drastically in the past 20 years, mainly because of computer
technology. Now a days in small as well as large firms the extensive use of
computers is the norm.

eLAWYERING –

elawyering also known as virtual law office refers to a law firm that delivers
legal services online, either directly to consumers through their websites or
through legal matching platforms (client pooling websites).

An important component of eLawyering is a secure "client portal" so that the

clients feel safe and confident in disclosing their information.

Thus this is not simply a lawyer who does not have a physical office and
communicates with clients by email. Instead, the law firm must have a secure
section of its website where a client can log in with a unique user name and
password. can be accessed by both client and advocate anywhere an internet
connection is available.

Thus in contrast to a traditional law practice, a virtual law office allows

advocates and clients to communicate securely over the internet, download or
upload documents, and conduct other business normally conducted face-to-
face over the internet.

The e-Lawyer initiative in India is supported by Zee Education (ZED) and

Spectrum and they run a basic course in Windows, MS Office and Jurix .

USE OF COMPUTERS IN LEGAL PROFESSION

History : The first Legal database in India was Introduced by Spectrum Business
Support of the Mumbai and it was called as Grand Juris. It was marketed as first
judicial database on a CD and it covered an array of codes on Direct taxes, Excise
and Customs, Company Law, Foreign exchange regulation, banking, insurance,
environment laws, and contract laws. The CD was helpful in a variety of ways and
one could see judgements, dates, citations, notifications and circulars. The best part
was it was enabled with hyperlinks to navigate smoothly. And word based search
made it easier to dig out relevant references to a particular case.
JUDIS was another landmark product which served as online case library and
contained all reportable judgements od Supreme Court of India and lets one dig up
relevant precedents to a case .

SCC Online is another such important resource on case laws of Supreme Court of
India.

The use of computers in Legal Profession can be discussed in following heads.

a. Ease of navigation of information :

The Indian penal code is one of the most exhaustive codes and has got
equally large number of amendments. Therefore the lawyers and the judges
have to sit through a mountain of documents to support their case. However
the information technology has made things easier and eliminated and
frequent headaches thereby causing earlier disposal of cases and delivery of
timely and accurate justice

b. Online Legal Research: One of the most important uses of computers in the
legal profession is conducting legal research. Many legal projects require
extensive legal research, including references to previously decided cases.
online legal databases such as IndiaKanoon, SCConline, LexisNexis and
Westlaw make the process of searching for case law, legal forms and
treatises much easier

c. Case Management Software : The increased use of computers in the legal

workplace has changed the way firms are managed. For example, client
case tracking traditionally was done using a large calendar; cases now are
tracked electronically, which makes the danger of a missed court date or
filing deadline less likely. Meanwhile, software such as Abacus Law
frequently is used to track billable hours, resulting in more precise time
accounting by advocates and savings to clients, who are able to track the
advocates work to the minute.

d. Electronic Records Keeping: Computers allow easier documentation and

retrieval of documents through the file managers.

e. Speech Recognition Software Like Dragon Legal Suites to convert speech to

text saves a lot of time on dictation and typing by the stenographers.

f. OCR Softwares like OmniPage allow scanning of documents and conversion of

image files to text files so that the document becomes electronically
searchable and easier to navigate.

g. Legal Marketing Online: Advocates through their websites provide valuable

general information such as explanations of legal rights and the legal
process. Websites also allow a potential client to directly email or chat with
 an advocate before scheduling a consultation. Thus advocates are now
increasingly using computers and the Internet to obtain new clients.

h. Electronic Document Filing: many state courts now use the internet for all
their case filings, case listings and upload the case status online.

i. Apps: Mobile apps such as e-courts allow easy trackimg of case status.

j. Upto date informations are easily available though online forums such as
LiveLaw.

k. Administrative (such as billing and payroll) : The computers can also be used
for keeping accounts of the lawyers office, maintaining the inventory of items,
books and journals, and maintaining salary accounts and muster of the
employees at the office.

l. Maintain a client information database to keep in touch with the clients and
provide them with seasons greetings and information regarding their case.

m. Video-Conferencing: With increasing use of VOIP and the audio video calls
and conferencing can be done between the client and the advocate to discuss
about the cases. Many court proceedings are also being conducted by video
conferencing in cases where physical appearance is not feasible or considered
to not to be in interest of the client or the state.