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Subject to ongoing revision:
last revised 8/10/2006

Syllabus


Unit No. 1 – Overview – August 29

  1. Introduction to the subject
    1. e-Law in relation to e-Government (and cyberlaw)
    2. Some examples, domestic and foreign, of the types of change underway
    3. Illustrations of past changes in the technology of law that have affected how law works and is thought about
    4. The public values at stake
      1. Transparency - in relation to other values
      2. Access (for whom?)
      3. Cost " Timeliness
      4. Public control of public functions
  2. Course procedures
  3. Expectations

Unit No. 2 – Judicial opinion dissemination and access – September 5, 12, 19

  1. The legal information marketplace
  2. The range of behaviors and public/private relationships
  3. Some key issues for courts and public law reporters
    1. Vendor and medium neutral citation
    2. Copyright and other forms of control over redistribution
    3. Selecting the important decisions (published/unpublished, precedential/non-precedential)
    4. Quality assurance (from copy editing and cite checking to privacy policy compliance)
    5. Post-release revision
    6. Archiving
    7. Meeting the judiciary's own legal information needs
  4. 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

  1. The legal information marketplace (cont'd)
  2. How codes differ from decisions
  3. The range of behaviors and public/private relationships
  4. How the information needs of those responsible for enacting legislation and making regulations influence the dissemination options
  5. Some key issues for legislatures and agencies
    1. Copyright and other forms of control over redistribution
    2. Designation of a particular version or versions as "official"
    3. Treatment of time
  6. Distinctive issues surrounding municipal codes
  7. The U.S. in comparison with others

Unit No. 4 – The input side of legal institutions – October 17, 24

  1. Some early examples of e-filing
  2. A different set of incentives and purposes
  3. Required reports and payments
  4. Initiation of judicial or administrative proceedings (e-filing)
  5. Application for public benefits, licenses, permits and the like
  6. Public access to electronic records
  7. Issues of incompatibility
  8. 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

  1. Systems for improving judicial performance in real-time
  2. Communicating policy and conforming practice in large agency settings
  3. Agencies as integrators
    1. SSA
    2. U.S. Department of Labor
    3. State consumer protection agencies
  4. Sophisticated legislative drafting systems

Unit No. 6 – The conduct of legal proceedings – November 7, 14

  1. Civil and criminal trials
    1. Multi-media hearing or trial presentations
    2. Virtual proceedings
  2. Administrative deliberation and public comment on proposed rules
    1. e-Rulemaking
  3. Administrative adjudications
    1. Teleconference hearings
    2. Electronic capture of proceedings
    3. Quality assurance

Unit No. 7 – Impact of eLaw on the work of lawyers and structure of law firms – November 21

  1. Virtual law firms
  2. Knowledge management and exchange
  3. New forms and sources of competition
  4. Client empowerment

Unit No. 8 – Speculations about the future – November 28

  1. Digital media and the public conception of law
  2. Digital media and the role of the legal profession
  3. ADR and ODR, in competition with the courts
  4. Erosion of geographically limited public authority