Cyber Beat

Legal Advice From The Web?

Caveat Emptor. A Latin phrase meaning "Let the buyer beware." Never has a more fitting statement been made. Especially as it applies to the Internet. In other words, don't buy products, information or services on the Internet without doing your research.

While roaming around the web you will find many sites in which you can purchase products, information or services. You can also find legal services or information on the Internet. Law firms, sole practitioners, discussions of the implications of decisions made by the courts, Usenet groups where other users have posted legal questions, postings of court decisions from various states, as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. All of these sites found on the web are extremely interesting and it is easy to get lost in them. It is also very easy to forget that you should not try to resolve any legal questions you may have strictly from information you receive on the Internet.

The laws of the United States, fortunately or unfortunately, are very technical. One particular statute, or decision of a court, may or may not apply to your particular legal situation. There may be events that have occurred in your situation that did not occur in someone else's. Thus a different decision from the court or jury could be the result.

When we hear of a court or jury awarding someone thousands, even millions of dollars in a personal injury suit, we may attempt to read into the news accounts similar events that have occurred to us. Some of us may even believe that our situation is so similar to that one case we read about that we may feel we don't need an attorney to take the matter to court. That new millionaire, recently in the press, who's only claim to fortune was spilling extremely hot coffee on herself as she drove away from a fast food restaurant, has already won a case very similar to yours. Right?

Well, be aware that that case was taken to court by an attorney. The attorney was undoubtedly someone who not only new the law, but new how to convince a jury of the propriety of awarding his client the money. The attorney surely spent weeks researching case law and the facts in her case. From press accounts, we don't know enough about how the jury arrived at its decision. We don't know what evidence was presented to them, or what expert witnesses supplied conclusive information that the coffee was "too hot." We don't know enough about the case to know whether you or I could receive an equivalent judgment for a like problem. We don't even know if, given the same facts, if we knew all of them, that a jury that heard our case would award the same amount of money, or even find the company or person we sue liable for any wrong.

Therefore, if you happen to find information on the web that leads you to believe that you could be awarded millions of dollars for a matter for which you have been wronged, I would strongly caution you to seek advice of a competent attorney. When you do find an attorney, be prepared to ask a host of questions. There is nothing wrong with you providing information to the attorney that you found on the Internet. In fact, any research you do and the information that you provide the attorney, at the very least, will help you understand what your attorney is trying to tell you when you both discuss your case.

Lawsuits can become very expensive, and will create havoc in your life. Court appearances, depositions, medical appointments, etc., can take you away from your job or family, and may not result in a court or jury awarding you any restitution. You may even find yourself paying court costs for the opposing side if you lose. The decision to sue in court must b! e ma de after a well thought out review of the facts in your case. There are many occasions where it is better to just walk away than to begin seeking retribution through the courts.

But if you are seeking legal advice or information, it is nice to know that there are many sites on the web for you to find an attorney or to search for legal information. You can start at the University of Illinois, College of Law. (http://www.law.uiuc.edu/uilaw/prose/fp.htm) The law students have a virtual newspaper at this site called "Pro Se" which discusses legal issues. The site also offers access to a listing of law firms and sole practitioners on the web by using the YAHOO! search engine. If you don't know the name of a particular law firm or attorney you can call up a list of firms alphabetically by selecting a letter of the alphabet. Or, you can request the entire listing of firms offered. I must warn you, however, that at the time of my search, the names of 459 law firms and sole practitioners from all around the world were found. Quite a listing at 62860 plus bytes!

You can also jump to the home page for Foreign & International Law at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. (http://lawlib.wuacc.edu./forint/forintmain.html.) This site lists many foreign and international sites for law firms, journals, international treaties, listservers, United Nations and others. Even more impressive at this site, is a previous page of the school (http://www.lawlib.wuacc.edu./washlaw/washlaw.html) that offers many choices to jump to, including sites with the American Bar Association, law firms, paralegal firms, legal related job sites, journals, law schools, Bar Associations and more. Click on the federal documents option and you will jump to a site listing an assortment of ways to obtain law related information from the United States federal government.

As mentioned earlier, searching the Internet for legal information is very time consuming. If you are willing to take the time, however, you may save yourself a lot of money as you will either be going to your attorney well prepared, or you may find you don't have a case and decide not to sue at all. In any event, search the Internet with a cautious eye. Have fun. If you do decide to proceed with your case, you will at least have the satisfaction of having done a lot of the research yourself!

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