Papers & Presentations
Finding The Law Online: - Current State Of Play And Future Directions
Sue Scott: Director of the Online Legal Access Project at the Law Foundation of NSW.
Informed participation in the legal system is integral to a democratic and civil society. Knowledge of the law is a necessary basis for civic activity, and for people's capacity to comply with, use, and critique the law.
The Internet provides an ideal way to provide up to date, relevant information about the law. It has the potential to reach a wide audience, material is easily updated, and costs are less than providing the same material in print.
In this paper, I will examine the availability of Australian legal information via the Internet, including acts, case law and plain English material. I will discuss who is publishing this information and why, key State and Federal sites, the availablility of materials in other languages, gaps, the role of pathfinder sites and the need for co-operation, and future developments in the area of online consumer legal information.
I will briefly discuss the most effective ways to deliver this information to the community.
Biography
Sue Scott is the Director of the Online Legal Access Project at the Law Foundation of NSW. This project involves undertaking research and policy development in areas relating to increasing access to the law. More information on this project can be found at http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/olap.
Sue was previously the co-ordinator of the Technology Access Program at the State Library of NSW and taught Internet and web page design courses. She has extensive experience assisting the public to find information and has a particular interest in ensuring information is accessible to all members of society. Sue was the winner of the 1998 Jean Arnot Memorial Fellowship for her paper "Mapping the Internet".