How Well Are Wisconsin
Lawyers Adopting Technology?
The Impact of the Internet on CLE
The Internet offers great potential in assisting
Wisconsin lawyers in their practices by providing instant and continuous
access to legal resources. The State Bar is experimenting with a variety
of ways to use the Internet to access Wisconsin-specific legal resources
and delivering continuing legal education programming, according to
State Bar CLE Seminars Director Katy Duren. The CLE
department is creating an online resource library, which features a
searchable database of State Bar CLE materials and practice resources,
including CLE seminar and convention outlines, CLE Books, and Wisconsin
Lawyer articles. These materials will be downloadable from WisBar, or
may be ordered and delivered in print format.
The CLE department also is experimenting with a variety of other
Web-based and Web-enhanced projects, including Web-enhanced telephone
seminars for credit (the first of which, "Wisconsin Legal Research
Resources on the Internet," is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2000).
While the potential for delivering CLE programming over the Internet
is exciting, Duren notes that there are some challenges to overcome,
including lawyers' comfort level with technology. While the technology
exists (with some limitations, including bandwidth) to provide
Internet-based resources and learning opportunities, some of the most
innovative models require relatively sophisticated computer equipment
and users. In addition, Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules governing
continuing legal education currently do not allow credit for many forms
of Web-based training. In the not too distant future, however, Duren
anticipates that Internet-based CLE will be accredited in Wisconsin.
In addition to its Internet initiatives, the State Bar offers a
variety of training opportunities to assist lawyers in increasing their
computer skills and efficiency. Offerings include seminars on
computer-assisted legal research and specific law office computer
applications for common programs such as Word® and
WordPerfect®. The technology training room in the new Bar Center
allows for hands-on technology courses for lawyers and law office staff.
For more information, contact Katy
Duren at (608) 250-6040.
Wisconsin Lawyer
