The Practice of Law in the 21st Century
The Law Office of the Future Project has the following
goals:
STUDENT GOALS FOR LAW OFFICE
PROJECT NETWORK
Our primary goal
is to allow the students to develop the professional skills necessary for
the effective practice of law in the digital age. While
that includes all of the traditional professional training the primary
focus of the Law Office of the Future and Courtroom of the Future is the
development of functional skills in that context. Every student in the
technology courses and the clinical programs (including members of the
bar who participate in our courses) should have the opportunity to develop
basic skills in the following areas:
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E-mail including sending and receiving documents
and files from remote locations and over networks.
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Information productivity tools including:
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Address Book and Contact Management
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Personal Calendar and Group Scheduling
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Task Management
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Activity Journal
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Internet News Groups
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Information Sharing and Routing
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Fax
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Online conferencing and threaded discussion.
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Interactive video training and evaluation in the
context of meetings, depositions, trial and appellate practice.
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Maintain a virtual office on the LOFP (Law Office
of the Future Project) server.
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Access the LOFP Intranet and participate in its maintenance
on a day to day basis.
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The creation and management of multi-media documents
and trial preparation materials.
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Creation and use of presentation programs incorporating
video, computer data and images, including photographs, documents and artwork.
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Develop the ability to produce smart documents -
implement hypertext links in briefs, memoranda, presentations and other
documents where hyperlinks are effective and appropriate.
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Master boolean search methods and the development
and the efficient use of Database Management Systems.
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Learn the distinction between "Information Management" and "Knowledge Management"
and the tools for the development of knowledge from information.
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Learn to use design for visibility and readability in presentations, web
pages and other documents.
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Master the effective and efficient use of document assembly and document
management programs.
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Master use of the Internet for legal/medical/business and other research
information.
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Develop time organization and management skills to enhance professional
development and support personal/family values.
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Design, develop, and publish WWW documents.
CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
We envision a series of Professional Training
Programs offered on Campus, via remote learning techniques such as interactive
video and over the Internet. Some of the training content is:
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Learn to organize tasks, calendar, documents, and
communications from a centralized environment.
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Learn to regularly track tasks in terms of time,
project and activity classification (Project Management).
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Learn the principals of systematic case management.
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Learn to rely on electronic communication for the
research, creation, modification and submission of documents and papers.
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Learn to leverage advanced graphics, audio, video
and hypertexting systems for the persuasive presentation of argument.
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Learn the nature of a paperless path for information
from creation, to evidence, to docket, to trial presentation.
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Gain hands-on experience with an integrated environment
that addresses:
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Management of legal cases (individual or group interaction
on legal issues and content)
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Management of inter-personal information (group interaction
on scheduling and communication, ocal and remote)
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Management of law office information (specifically
EDMS, Case Management, Time Reporting).
DEMONSTRATION LAW OFFICE
The Project hopes to be the place that people in
the legal community with information needs will seek out for answers.
But we also hope to be the place that people come to with ideas of their
own. We will strive to maintain a state of the art law office environment
that provides opportunity to test and evaluate various components of the
modern law office system.
RESOURCE CENTER
As a part of our ongoing partnership with the
Arizona State Bar Association we hope to be able to provide a place where
lawyers and judges visiting Tucson will be able to come for access to their
home office via the internet, fax, email or telephone.
PHYSICAL SPACE
The Law Office of the Future will be located
in the old Chi Omega house adjoining the James A. Rogers Law Center in
Tucson. In addition to the demonstration law office the new facility will
house the various clinical programs and the Masters in International Law
Program at the Law College. We look forward to seeing you there!!
Winton Woods
Director of the Project