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MVP Site Honor Roll

Highlighting web sites of particular interest to legal professionals. Winners are authorized to display the MVP logo in its button version, or the larger size at right. The most recent MVP site is always listed on the Netlawtools home page.

2004

August: Two blog service providers, Typepad and Movable Type share the MVP award for August. These powerful blog platforms are two of the best choices for lawyers who want to do it themselves, instead of hiring a turnkey vendor like our June choice, Lexblog.

July: Dallas lawyer Tom Mighell's Inter Alia blog is a valuable resource for lawyers using the Internet in their practices. Mighell stays on top of Internet legal research trends, sites and software. Mighell also publishes the Internet Legal Research Weekly Newsletter.

June: Lexblog is the Netlawtools MVP Site for June. Having a blog is a major plus for many lawyers, but few are enthusiastic about investing the time to master the technical aspects of blogging. Visionary Kevin O'Keefe has set out to fill the gap with this new business. Will it make money? I don't know, but it's filling a much-needed void.

May: TalkLeft, developed by Denver-based criminal defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt, is intended for the public, journalists covering crime-based news and politics, policy makers and the criminal defense community. It is an exceptional example of how one person can use the Internet to make a difference. Other features of the site are the unique newsfeed, updated several times a day with crime-related news and commentary, and the comprehensive list of links to major progressive political and media sites.

April: Sabrina Pacifici's beSpacific is an excellent blog from the publisher of longtime favorite LLRX.com, a previous Site of the Year winner.

March: Kevin Heller's Tech Law Advisor is a stellar blog. The newsletter is a real asset.

February: Ron Friedmann's Strategic Legal Technology is consistently interesting. The thoughtful Friedmann is also one of the stellar group of commentators at eLawyer Blog.

January: Cindy Chick's new LawLibTech blog lives up to its tagline, "A conversation on law library technology and knowledge management." It is a most welcome addition to the web scene.

2003

Site of the Year: Denise Howell's Bag and Baggage is a leader among legal blogs, with a light (though sometimes cryptic) writing style that attracts legions of readers. The large number of high quality legal blogs made selecting this year's winner unusually difficult, with sites named in previous months and beSpacific,  ethicalESQ, Ernie the Attorney, Dennis Kennedy, Tom Mighell, Tech Law Advisor, Larry Bodine, Mad Kane, Lawrence Lessig and others all producing excellent resources.

December: How Appealing is the Netlawtools MVP Site for December. Howard Bashman's popular site, with its theme of appellate litigation, is a great illustration of a high-value blog.

November: Excited Utterances is Joy London's excellent blog on the subject of knowledge management. This blog is a great illustration of the value of focusing on a particular topic.

October: Jeff Beard's Law Tech Guru is a great source of tips from a legal tech wizard.

September: Blogs4Business.com, by Boca Raton-based consultant John Lawler, is a great source of news about a potentially revolutionary Internet development.

August: Gary O’Connor (Statutory Construction Zone) and Stephanie Tai  (blueblanketblog) share the award this month for their excellent article entitled Legal and Appellate Weblogs: What They Are, Why You Should Read Them, and Why You Should Consider Starting Your Own. In addition to blueblanketblog, Ms. Tai is an organizer of the excellent Blawg Review, a team project that monitors significant law review articles.

July: My Detod is another slick customizable online news aggregator for law-oriented blogs. This is a great way to keep up with the news from your favorite blogs, especially if you haven't yet installed a local aggregator like NewsMonster or AmphetaDesk.

June: The 10b-5 Daily is operated by Lyle Roberts, a partner in the securities litigation group of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati's Reston, Virginia branch.

May: Carolyn Elefant's My Shingle blog is a great source of information for solo lawyers.

April: Bill Gratsch's Blawg.org is a worthy resource for lawyer-bloggers.

March: The Blawgistan News is a sort of meta blog that provides headline feeds of blogs with legal themes, or "blawgs." A time-saver, especially for legal professionals who are not yet using news aggregator software. : URL updated May 1, 2003.

February: Using a blog to promote and update the The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet is an innovative technique.

January: Law Technology News is the online version of the American Lawyer Media monthly publication dedicated to helping lawyers keep up with new tech developments.  Edited by Monica Bay. Free, but registration required.

2002

Site of the Year: The Virtual Chase site is Philadelphia law librarian Genie Tyburski's exceptional gift to the legal profession. Consistently superior. The e-mail newsletter is one of the many worthy features.

December: The Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, a project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and several law schools, works to preserve freedom of speech on the Internet by providing information concerning Internet law topics like Fan Fiction, Copyright, Domain Names and Trademarks, Anonymous Speech, and Defamation.

November: The Marcus Letter web site and accompanying newsletter provide high quality resources of interest to lawyer marketing, including marketing via the Internet.

October: Cornell's Legal Information Institute was a pioneer in placing reliable, useful legal information. It's still a don't-miss site for lawyers.

September: Sork.com site is one of the best law professor sites. It contains links to various other projects of Professor David Sorkin, including Sorkin's superior Web Log, his "Don't Link to Me" project, and resources on spam laws and online payment systems.

August: Craig Ball's List of Helpful Links, the link collection of Houston Trial Lawyer Craig Ball, is a great example of how lawyers can use the Internet as a promotional tool.  

July: Privacy.net provides consumer-oriented information on one of the hottest topics around--privacy. Not specifically oriented toward legal professionals, but it will help lawyers gain some measure of control over their own personal privacy, as well as understand the technology behind some key legal issues.

June: The Journal of Information, Law & Technology consistently provides cutting edge thinking. Hosted by Warwick Law School.

May: The Legal Technology Resource Center is an excellent source of technology information, operated by David Whelan for the American Bar Association.

April: PDAJD.com is a great resource for lawyers who use the Internet and a Personal Digital Assistant like a Palm or Pocket PC.

March: Cybercrime.gov is a site operated by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. It is a valuable resource on computer security issues. A timely example this month is an analysis of the legal effect of the USA Patriot Act. One of the best resources there is an analysis of legal issues involved in moving to e-commerce.  This was originally drafted as guidance for federal agencies, but is also very useful for private sector lawyers.

February: The Future of Law Practice provides Florida lawyer Charles F. Robinson's visionary ideas on how the legal profession can respond to a changing environment. Robinson is an impressive presenter, and this site is a good introduction to his ideas.

January: Legal News Media.com is a fine British site that provides an excellent way to stay on top of the latest news in technology for lawyers.

2001

Site of the Year: LawMoose.com is a model legal portal site for lawyers nationwide.

December: Google has revolutionized searching for Internet users, including lawyers.

November: Network Lawyers is a new Yahoo-hosted discussion group patterned after Lew Rose's late, lamented Net-lawyers. You can subscribe by e-mail or visiting the group's web site.

October: Legal TechAid coordinates volunteer efforts by legal technologists to help lawyers hurt by the tragic September 11 attacks rebuild their practices.

September: Reqwired, "The Home Page for Continuing Education" is an interesting attempt to make money by providing services to lawyers and other professionals having continuing education requirements. The updated information on state CLE requirements and lists of courses available are valuable, along with the record/keeping reminder function.

August: The ABA's Law Futures site is operated by the Committee on Research About the Future of the Legal Profession. The site's link list, under menu choice Recent Articles, is the highlight. 

July: CrossingTheBar.com® ("CTBC") is a project of Ethics Northwest, Inc. President George A. Riemer. This site is probably the premier national resource for information about lawyer Multijurisdictional Practice, sometimes known as MJP. Several points could be useful for lawyers who would like to try something similar:

June: LawMoose.com is an excellent resource for Minnesota lawyers from LaVern Pritchard, of Pritchard Law Webs. Though mainly intended as a regional site, lawyers elsewhere could find it very useful. Perhaps more important, its superior organization and operation provide a good model for those who would develop similar projects elsewhere.

May: Microlaw.com's legal technology oriented CLE area is powered by the peripatetic Ross Kodner, one of the country's best-traveled, and consistently best received legal technology lecturers. 

April: UDRPlaw.net is a "one-stop location for information on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, Internet law, trademarks, research tools, domain name registration and news." Edited by Patrick L. Jones, a third-year law student at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis. Jones' work outshines that of many experienced lawyers.

March: LexisONE™ is a legal publishing giant's response to New Economy competitors providing free or low-cost access to legal resources over the Internet. Lexis decided to fight for "mindshare" (awareness by potential customers) by establishing its own free web site. It make available at no charge a lot of material that can be found for free or cheaply at other sites, but makes it easier to use. The Practice Management section has tips on legal technology, including the Internet, like Steven A. Meyerowitz's article on limiting ethical risks from law firm web sites. The crown jewel of the site is the Loop section, an ambitious and promising virtual community for lawyers.

February: Prodomainnews. Mark Pruner's discussion group covers domain name developments of interest to lawyers, including the new .pro domain name. This site is worthwhile not merely because of its substantive value, but because it illustrates how Net-savvy lawyers can use discussion groups to provide a public service and market themselves at the same time.

January: GigaLaw.com. Founded by Doug Isenberg, this is a great resource for Internet legal news and features.

2000

Site of the Year: LLRX.com. This exceptional site, operated by Cindy Chick and Sabrina Pacifici, is consistently one of the most useful sites for lawyers.

December: Mama-Tech.com, the home page of Diane Thilly Cabell of Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, it illustrates that a site need not be technically  elaborate to be useful for lawyers.

November: The Electronic Filing web site is operated by the National Center for State Courts.

October: Law.com is American Lawyer Media's major Internet legal portal site. A giant corporate site, Law.com is not exactly in the mode of the smaller, more personal sites we usually tend favor when selecting MVP Sites, but it consistently contains so much valuable information, and so much good writing, that every lawyer should know about it. We hope one major weakness of the site is  corrected soon: the database system used does not enable most articles to be cited by a permanent URL, thus reducing the archival value of the site. 

September: Randy B. Singer's MacAttorney site is a portal for lawyers who use Macintosh computers -- or think they might want to use them. Singer is the author of The Macintosh Software Guide for the Law Office, a new book published by the ABA. Definitely not a Mac person? The Attorneys' Toolbox section has links to Net resources of interest to lawyers using any type of computer. 

August: Courts.net is an outstanding public service site with links to many state courts. Check out their material on public domain citation systems and using PDF in the court environment.

July: The Law Marketing Portal is a superior site operated in conjunction with the popular LawMarketing discussion group. The site features articles, discussion group archives, and much more. The article about online seminars, or "webinars" is a good example of the site's value. 

June: The ABA's Law Practice Management Section web site has undergone a major upgrade. Now focusing on content, it has become a highly useful site worthy of the time and attention of all lawyers wondering how to maximize the value of their practices. 

May: The Legal Technology Primer is an "online book," consisting of nearly 100 legal technology articles written by Dennis M. Kennedy. Kennedy, who practices computer and Internet law at Thompson Coburn LLP in St. Louis, combines a deep understanding of the practical side of law office technology with a lucid writing style. Highly recommended.

April: Internet Trainers' Stop and Swap is another great contribution from noted law librarian Genie Tyburski, developer of the outstanding Virtual Chase web site. It contains lesson plans and other information designed to help those who train lawyers and other legal professionals in Internet use.

March: ABA Techshow -- Outstanding site operated in conjunction with the American Bar Association's annual legal technology showcase.

February: Wendytech.com is Wendy Liebowitz's new legal technology site. Low on flash, high on ideas. 

January: Internet for Lawyers is Carol Levitt's promising new California-based site: "Sole mission is to teach attorneys, paralegals, law librarians, law firm administrators, law firm marketing departments and lawyers to effectively gather information online, through individual, one-on-one training and seminars."

1999

Site of the Year: Findlaw, the premier portal for legal research.

December: Will Hornsby's Advertising Rules Site, sponsored by the ABA, contains links to all state rules on lawyer advertising and solicitation. 

November: The Equal Justice Network is a superior resource site for legal services lawyers and others who serve lower income groups.  Much of the material is also relevant to other lawyers. For example, check out the Visions link, and papers accessible there.

October: Tech-Topicshifts is Alan Rothman's web-based discussion group for lawyers. Excellent source of innovative ideas.

September: Wendy Leibowitz's Lawyers and Technology column from the National Law Journal (now archived at WendyTech.com) and Carl S. Kaplan's Cyber Law Journal in the New York Times feature two great writers sharing their insights on the latest developments in legal technology.
Mr. Kaplan's column has since been discontinued.

August: CyberSettle is a innovative example of Internet use. 

July: Legalminds is Findlaw's archive of legally-oriented mailing lists. Excellent resource.

June: Probono.net is dedicated to helping lawyers meet public service obligations. Founded by on-leave Latham and Watkins partner Michael Hertz, Probono.net is an ambitious attempt at creating a decentralized national cyberspace firm of public interest lawyers. Technically sophisticated, graphically appealing, with great relevance to its target audience, Probono.net is a site no lawyer should miss.

May: Criminal Defense Online is a project of the Michigan State Appellate Defender's Office. Wonderful! Many governmental and nonprofit organizations face the question of how they can accomplish more with their their limited resources. Most such organizations could benefit from a careful study of Criminal Defense Online. A practical example like this exceptional site demonstrates how the Internet can benefit such organizations better than any mere verbal explanation could ever do.

April: The Plaintiff v. Defendant site, sponsored, designed and maintained by D. Pamela Gaines, one of the classiest one-woman shows around. Gaines concentrates on service to the legal profession, especially Pennsylvania lawyers, with a collection of high quality content on everything from viatical settlements to designing a law firm web site.

March: The Internet Legal Practice Newsletter is no more, but the archives of this publication remain an outstanding resource. This link was out of action when last checked, January 2, 2000, but we will leave it up in hope that it will be repaired.

February: Mike Goldblatt's Lawyermarketing.com has resources on legal marketing using the Internet, as well as conventional tools. 
Has since been taken over by Findlaw but the old URL still works.  

January: The Law Offices of Bob Ambrogi web site contains articles that originally appeared in the newsletter legal.online and not available elsewhere on the Internet.

1998

December: Ken Johnson's WWWScribe site is full of information for lawyers. A popular CLE speaker, Ken is also the author of The Lawyer's Quick Guide to Internet E-mail.
We have subsequently added a review of Ken's book, by Susan Fall.