Subject
to ongoing revision:
last revised 8/10/2006
Syllabus
Unit No. 1 Overview August 29
- Introduction to the subject
- e-Law in relation to e-Government (and cyberlaw)
- Some examples, domestic and foreign, of the types of change underway
- Illustrations of past changes in the technology of law that have affected how law works and is thought about
- The public values at stake
- Transparency - in relation to other values
- Access (for whom?)
- Cost " Timeliness
- Public control of public functions
- Course procedures
- Expectations
Unit No. 2 Judicial opinion dissemination and access September 5, 12, 19
- The legal information marketplace
- The range of behaviors and public/private relationships
- Some key issues for courts and public law reporters
- Vendor and medium neutral citation
- Copyright and other forms of control over redistribution
- Selecting the important decisions (published/unpublished, precedential/non-precedential)
- Quality assurance (from copy editing and cite checking to privacy policy compliance)
- Post-release revision
- Archiving
- Meeting the judiciary's own legal information needs
- The U.S. in comparison with others (Canada, France)
Unit No. 3 Dissemination of codified law (statutes, administrative regulations, and municipal ordinances) September 26, October 3
- The legal information marketplace (cont'd)
- How codes differ from decisions
- The range of behaviors and public/private relationships
- How the information needs of those responsible for enacting legislation and making regulations influence the dissemination options
- Some key issues for legislatures and agencies
- Copyright and other forms of control over redistribution
- Designation of a particular version or versions as "official"
- Treatment of time
- Distinctive issues surrounding municipal codes
- The U.S. in comparison with others
Unit No. 4 The input side of legal institutions October 17, 24
- Some early examples of e-filing
- A different set of incentives and purposes
- Required reports and payments
- Initiation of judicial or administrative proceedings (e-filing)
- Application for public benefits, licenses, permits and the like
- Public access to electronic records
- Issues of incompatibility
- Proprietary versus open systems
Unit No. 5 The communication of legal materials, policies, and standard practices within public law-making and law-applying bodies October 31
- Systems for improving judicial performance in real-time
- Communicating policy and conforming practice in large agency settings
- Agencies as integrators
- SSA
- U.S. Department of Labor
- State consumer protection agencies
- Sophisticated legislative drafting systems
Unit No. 6 The conduct of legal proceedings November 7, 14
- Civil and criminal trials
- Multi-media hearing or trial presentations
- Virtual proceedings
- Administrative deliberation and public comment on proposed rules
- e-Rulemaking
- Administrative adjudications
- Teleconference hearings
- Electronic capture of proceedings
- Quality assurance
Unit No. 7 Impact of eLaw on the work of lawyers and structure of law firms November 21
- Virtual law firms
- Knowledge management and exchange
- New forms and sources of competition
- Client empowerment
Unit No. 8 Speculations about the future November 28
- Digital media and the public conception of law
- Digital media and the role of the legal profession
- ADR and ODR, in competition with the courts
- Erosion of geographically limited public authority