The Legal Domain Network:
-------------------------
The Chicago-Kent College of Law and Villanova University School
of Law are pleased to announce formally THE LEGAL DOMAIN NETWORK.
The Legal Domain Network is an attempt to consolidate
and coordinate all substantive legal information and discussions on
the Internet. Currently, the Internet suffers from "information
overload," which comes from the sheer volume of material passing
through the Internet that prevents productive use of the Internet's
distributed resources. The Legal Domain Network combats the
increasing overload problem by attacking on three major fronts.
1. Signal-to-noise ratios: Like any open community, the
Internet is full of information that imparts no useful knowledge.
In order to find a single kernel of useful information, a user
wades through quite a bit of chaff. For example, a standard Usenet
discussion group may have a large amount of postings, but only
convey a small measure of information. The Legal Domain Network
attempts to solve this problem by distilling the Internet community
at large to a select group concentrating on the legal community.
Discussions can take place without unnecessary intrusions by
individuals outside of the legal environment not dedicated to
providing quality legal information.
2. E-mail overflow: Currently, the legal community uses
primarily listservers to hold substantive law related discussions over
the Internet. Each participant in a discussion receives posts in their
e-mail box, not only their regular personal mail, but mail relating to
each discussion list that they have subscribed to. This mail is
intermingled and cannot be quickly processed, which prevents the
user from participating effectively in ongoing discussions. The
Legal Domain Network rebuts this problem by employing Usenet
technology, which separates the discussions from regular e-mail and
allows a user to selectively enter into discussions. Additionally,
Usenet technology permits a user to participate only in particular
areas in the discussion groups, if they wish. Thus, the user may
concentrate on their interests, consuming less valuable time and
participating more effectively.
3. Finding information: The undocumented nature of the
Internet makes searching the vast quantity of information available
relatively impossible as compared to commercial legal research
resources. Because the multitude of methods essential to locate a
single Internet resource overwhelms a newcomer immediately, any
user hesitates spending the time necessary to conduct research over
the Internet. The Legal Domain Network answers this problem by
developing a central kiosk, through which a user may guide their
legal research. By coordinating efforts to place legal content on the
Internet and providing a forum for a standards discussion on
maintaining such information, a simple to use interface can be
cultivated providing the backbone for all legal information on the
Internet. The Legal Domain Network represents the one location
for all substantive law related discussion and legal information on
the Internet.
In a nutshell, The Legal Domain Network is a private Usenet
newsfeed for law-related organizations only. It is currently
distributed among several law schools and plans are currently in
the works to increase distribution to law firms, the U.S. Congress,
and areas for use with the practicing bar.
Where to get The Legal Domain Network:
--------------------------------------
World Wide Web
URL http://www.kentlaw.edu/lawnet/lawnet.html
Gopher
Name=The Legal Domain Network
Type=1
Path=1/Internet Services/News/lawnet
Host=gopher.kentlaw.edu
Port=70
Usenet
If your law school or law-related organization has an Usenet server,
please contact Larry Donahue (ldonahue@chicagokent.kentlaw.edu)
or Ken Mortensen (kmortens@ming.law.vill.edu),
OR for more information, please leave a message at:
LEGALDOM @ MING.LAW.VILL.EDU
to find out how to become connected to The Legal Domain
Network.
-- Laurence S. Donahue Research Fellow, UNIX/Internet Consultant & Advisor Chicago-Kent College of Law ldonahue@chicagokent.Kentlaw.EDU (312)906-5308"One planet is all you get."
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