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Contents
Safeshopping.org
SCOTIS Sponsors National Association of Women Lawyers’ Sessions at Midyear
RPPT Develops Sense of Community Through E-mail Lists
ABA President William G. Paul Hosts Multi-disciplinary Practice Town Hall over the Web
SCOTIS Members
LTRC Staff
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We hope you find this newsletter informative and useful.We appreciate any feedback; contact the Legal Technology Resource Center at ltrc@abanet.org or (312)988-5465.
Safeshopping.org
The ABA’s new Web site,www.safeshopping.org, of the Business Law Section is a vehicle for consumers to protect their personal information when shopping online. Unveiled in late October, the Business Law Section of the ABA created the new site to boost consumer awareness in time for the holidays. Safeshopping.org illustrates how ABA entities can venture out and provide information not only for members, but for the general public as well.
Safeshopping.org was a tremendous success over the holiday season; the Website received over 150,000 visits from curious and genuinely interested viewers. Some of the tips found on the site:
- When shopping online, make sure the Web site uses security technology to protect credit card information
- Be knowledgeable of Web-based auctions
- Paying by credit card is safer than paying by cash, check, or debit card
- Know when to expect delivery
- Keep records of purchases and e-mail communications
- Know who to contact for complaints
- Find and read the privacy policy
- Review the return, refund, and shipping and handling policies
- Print the purchase terms
- Be suspicious of prices that seem too good to be true.
The informative site also suggests consumers trust their instincts when deciding whether or not to buy an item over the Web. Consumers should not feel pressured to place an order immediately.
Several steps were necessary to get the site up and running. E-commerce is growing rapidly with each passing year and the Business Law section seized on online shopping mishaps. According to an online report, Internet sales in 1999 increased 300% over 1998 holiday Internet sales (www.thestandard.com/metrics/display/0,2149,1108,00.html.) Walter Effross, Chairman of the Business Law Section’s Committee on the Law of Cyberspace’s Subcommittee on Electronic Commerce, stated “We want to encourage people to shop online but do so in an informed manner.”
Actually getting the site online took both the work of the Business Law Section and the ABA Internet Services Unit, which technically supports and hosts the site in-house at the ABA.
Media coverage and site promotion brought recognition to the Web site, the Business Law section and the American Bar Association as a whole. This in turn shows the ABA in a positive light to the public.
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SCOTIS Sponsors National Association of Women Lawyers’ Sessions at Midyear
The Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems will sponsor two programs presented by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) at the ABA midyear meeting. Gerald H. Goldstein and Cynthia Hujar Orr will discuss how practitioners can “shrink the globe” using technology to accommodate life and the practice of law. The session will be February 11, 2000, at 9:00a.m.
The second program features a panel on diversity. Speakers include Judy Clark, past president of NACDL, the trial lawyer for Ted Kaczinski and Susan Smith Burrell; Gary Bledsoe , president of the Texas NAACP, and Charlye Farris, the first African American woman lawyer in Texas. The panel will convene at 3:30 on February 11.
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RPPT Develops Sense of Community Through E-mail Lists
The American Bar Association is developing a sense of community among members through e-mail lists. One Section that has been a success is the Section of Real Property Probate and Trust (RPPT) Law through two of their e-mail lists, DIRT and PTL.
DIRT has several hundred subscribers who discuss the latest in real estate developments every day. Each day one of the members, Pat Randolph, sends out a recent case for discussion. The list is so popular it has spawned two other lists, one for real estate brokers, and one that features a new case each day.
The PTL list has almost 1,250 subscribers, and sends out an average of 50-60 messages a day. Those who use it find it a valuable way to stay on top of, and learn about, the latest in probate and trust law developments.
The success of these two e-mail lists has caused more and more groups in the RPPT section to form e-mail lists for their committees and other groups.
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ABA President William G. Paul Hosts Multi-disciplinary Practice Town Hall over the Web
ABA President William G. Paul and a distinguished panel of experts will participate in an interactive “Town Hall” style discussion of multidisciplinary practice and its implications for the profession on Sunday, February 13 from 2:00 p.m. CST - 5:00 p.m. during the upcoming ABA Midyear Meeting in Dallas.
In an effort to allow lawyers across the country to participate, the Division for Media Relations & Communication Services is working with the Office of the President to broadcast the meeting live via an Internet Webcast. Audience members participating in the Webcast will be able to communicate with panelists via e-mail during the Question & Answer segment of the program. In addition, video archives of the program will be available on the Internet for 90 days following the live broadcast.
Information on the program and panelists is available at http://www.abanet.org/mdp, which will later link through to the live Webcast and archive following the program.
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