A second benefit: an informed client is better able to evaluate the possible courses of action. Yes, I understand that sometimes the client is tempted to "practice law" on their own. They shouldn't do that. But just like a patient that researches an illness to better understand a doctor's diagnosis and treatment plan, the lawyer's client should take steps to ensure that the situation is understood.

The key is knowing where to look for the needed information. This month I want to provide links to some of the Websites that can be a great help. 

A recent personal experience proved the value of using a publicly available Web to find the answer to a specific legal question. On January 1st, our seventeen-year-old daughter asked if her existing driver's license would be further restricted by the new Graduated Drivers License Program. A quick check on the Website which is maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety answered the question. (No, existing licenses will not be affected.) 

Most states have very useful Web sites and it can be very easy to research business rules, laws and regulations. Because of the standard names assigned to the states, you can usually find the information for any state by remembering <http://www.state.ZZ.us> where you substitute the standard two-letter postal code for ZZ. For example the Texas site is found at <http://www.state.TX.us>. These sites are free and often provide excellent basic information from the state agencies and court systems. You might have to sort through the tourism pitches and the ever present pictures of the key politicians, but it can be worth the effort. 

I have commended the Texas Legislature Online site in past articles. It is a treasure trove of information regarding statutes passed in the last four legislative sessions. It even has audio and video archives of committee sessions and floor debates from the 2001 legislative session. Those archives of the testimony and debate are invaluable when you are trying to research the meaning of a new law. 

I use parts of Findlaw on a daily basis. It is a free Webpage that is owned and operated by the West Group (probably the world’s largest commercial publisher of law books) that provides dozens of links to legal research sites and to breaking news stories on significant trials and court rulings. Through it I can research cases and statutes without running up the bill for on-line legal research or searching the office to find the law book that someone has removed from the shelf without properly checking it out. If nothing else you can get a free e-mail account from its affiliate, <http://mail.justice.com>.

From Findlaw I can get to <Lawcrawler.com> which is a very useful search tool for finding background information and Websites on a particular topic. In researching this article I tested Lawcrawler.com by conducting a search for Texas Eminent Domain law. It provided several dozen possibilities. Of course some of the Websites it found are more useful than others. But someone searching for information on condemnation law would find significant leads. I discovered a couple of things I didn’t know, and I have been involved in eminent domain law since 1988.

LLRX.com is another of the big sites that should be helpful to every legal researcher. It was founded by two law librarians and it contains links on late-breaking court decisions as well as some obscure things like a treatise on the law of Finland and information on how to research the law of Uzbekistan. It also provides a very useful e-mail newsletter that can introduce new articles and topics as they are posted.

I can remember finding the fabulous Website provided by the Cornell Law School in the early 1990’s. At that time the use of the internet for legal research was in its infancy. It was the source for the complete text of new US Supreme Court cases. At that time it could be very expensive to download new opinions from the two major commercial on-line legal publications — Westlaw and Lexis. Cornell’s Website would often beat them to posting the opinions. It may have taken some time to download them by modem, but the price was right.

Cornell’s Legal Information Institute Website is still one of the best. If you want to research a particular legal topic, make one of your first stops at the Alphabetical Listing of “Law About” Topics. 

Two other general Websites should be bookmarked by anyone trying to find information about the law. Lawyer Express and Hieros Gamos are fantastic at providing hundreds of links. Lawyer Express is organized more by type of site because it has groups for Legal News, Legal Periodicals, Maps, Legal Search Engines and more. Hieros is organized along topic lines. It has a Law News Center, a Library, Law Student Center Law Business Center, a Law Consumer Center and a master list of seventy law practice areas.

Finally, I want to let you in on a secret. Mark Grossman is a Florida attorney with a very active technology and commercial law practice. He writes extensively on topics involving technology, intellectual law and contracts. He will even e-mail a free weekly article to you if you sign up. His practical tips concerning contract negotiations, new legislation and court decisions are very helpful and are not over-loaded with legal jargon. 

Many of the sites I’ve mentioned this month also have links to help you find a lawyer. So I’ll close with the same caution with which I opened. If you have any doubt, contact a lawyer that is competent in the area of practice you need. How do you find a lawyer? The best way is a personal recommendation from someone you trust that knows the attorney and can vouch for his or her ability. If that doesn’t work, contact a local or state bar association and ask if they provide a lawyer referral service. That assistance is usually free and the association may have already verified the experience and insurance of the attorneys listed. Ask how the attorneys qualified for the list.