Bruce, Vince --- "Foundation Law" [1996] ALRCRefJl 7; (1996) 69 Australian Law Reform Commission Reform Journal 23

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ALRC Reform 69

FOUNDATION LAW
order out of chaos

The Internet for lawyers was best described by an American research librarian, Genie Tyburski in an article in Trial magazine. She said:

The Internet provides access to a goldmine of resources. Many refer to its riches as a virtual library. Imagine a library consisting of thousands of acres of books stacked from floor to ceiling in no apparent order. Visualise finding information in the library without a card catalogue, written directions, or a librarian.

Now knock down the walls of the library and envisage space. Imagine the books as computer files. Retain the idea that there is no direction and no assistance in finding information. If you can imagine this, then you can grasp the concept of the Internet as a virtual library.

No order of the whole exists. No universal index helps users retrieve information. No customer service department responds to a plea for help. This rich virtual library may store the information you seek, or it may not. If it houses information, it may lead you directly to it or indirectly to it. Or not. It may guide you to related or similar information. Or not. It may let you access the information. Or not.

The Internet's environment is volatile, inconsistent, and unguided. Yet, it is growing, improving, and working.

Ms Tyburski's description aptly illustrates the problems that most lawyers have in handling legal information on the Internet.

The Law Foundation is seeking to make the Internet a user friendly library for both lawyers and the community generally. Firstly, by working with governments and courts to obtain legislation, judgments and other relevant information together on the Internet in a form where it may be easily located and searched even by those with very limited technical skills.

The database containing the information made available by governments and courts in Australia is maintained by the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII). AustLII is a joint venture between the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology, Sydney and is partly funded by the Law Foundation.

Foundation Law so far as it is visible to those seeking access to legal information is essentially a home page accessible by any user of the Internet without charge except for the fee, if any, payable to their Internet service provider. Its address is:

http://www.fl.asn.au

Foundation Law has a simplified menu which it is hoped will soon contain virtually all Australian legislation and superior court judgments. At the moment judgments from most Commonwealth courts and tribunals are available as are NSW, Tasmanian, ACT and NT Supreme Court judgments. Commonwealth, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory legislation is currently available.

Practice books for Commonwealth and NSW courts and for various fields of law ranging from administrative law to workers compensation are available. The practice books bring together relevant legislation and rules as well as giving access to appropriate government sources. The daily court lists of New South Wales courts as well as the Victorian Supreme Court, County Court and Magistrates Court lists are also available.

The home page contains information about the Law Foundation, law societies, bar associations, legal aid and community legal centres as well as various other legal organisations which have a presence on the Internet.

There is also access to a range of legal resources such as commercial legal data bases and subject specific and general indexes. It includes the index of Australian Legal Resources maintained by AustLII which gives an up-to-date listing of what is available on the Internet. An examination of that index shows the vast range of both primary and secondary material, some useful and some not, some interesting and some not, which is available on the Internet.

The exponential growth of the material which is becoming available makes Genie Tyburski's description of the Internet all the more appropriate and highlights the need for assistance for those who wish to use the Internet easily and to encourage access by the entire community to our legal resources. The object of Foundation Law is to provide that assistance.

Justice Vince Bruce

Justice Vince Bruce is Chairman of the Law Foundation of NSW.

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