There seems to be a wide range of opinions on this issue. I guess what
worries me most is that, when a message is posted which by it's tone seem
to be someone who is truly seeking an answer to their legal problem, they
will be in a different frame of mind than the readers of a newspaper or a
group of people in a classroom. I like the suggestion of one of the
responses, which was to act in the same manner on-line as we would in our
library. So I guess that means that the majority of our law-lib messages
are sort of a "virtual staff lounge", and some of the messages are
questions asked at a "virtual reference desk". Well, it's about time to
start the virtual weekend.
Sorry about the typos.
M.F.Henexson
Calif. Dept. of Justice
On Fri, 16 Sep 1994, James Quinn wrote:
> > And for those members of the list who are licensed to practice
> > law, do you feel comfortable providing advice on the Internet?
>
> Any attempt to answer a question like the one sparking this thread
> would have to be undertaken in the spirit of academic or political
> debate. I can't see how it could be understood as "practicing law."
> Even for netters who are licensed in some jurisdiction, there is
> the problem of creating a lawyer-client relationship. I would
> compare it to writing letters to the editor, or calling into a radio
> talk show with an opinion on the Cliton crime bill, etc. It might
> even be analogous to classroom discussion of a legal issue: if
> such discussion or debate were considered to run afoul of
> unauthorized practice statutes, then high schools, undergraduate
> programs, even law schools would continually be liable. It just
> doesn't make very good practical sense to stifle any discussion of
> legal issues in society outside the realm of the lawyer-client
> relationship.
>
> Anyway, that's my opinion . . . :)
>
> --
> James Quinn
> james@gulaw.gonzaga.edu
>
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