Subject: public domain citations Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 10:17:36 -0500 (EST) From: EHKoster@aol.com To: citation@teo.uscourts.gov I am a solo practice attorney, and I am coming more and more to rely on the internet for information and research. I share a suite with 6 other solo practice lawyers, none of which have a secretary: We do all our work on computers. It is clear to me that the wave of the future is computerization and on-line communications. It is faster, cheaper, and more accurate. And it makes information easily available to the public. This has developed within the last 15 years, and will continue to develop. The time will soon come when all attorneys must use computers and the internet to remain competitive. A refusal to make effective use of this new technology would be analogous to the refusal to make use of the printing press in the 15th century. In 1992 I overheard an attorney of great experience boast that he wrote his briefs with a quill. Exactly. Computer access through Westlaw and Lexis is more than many firms and most clients can afford. And very few members of the public at large have access to these resources. But already cases are being posted to the internet, and there is no way to keep it from happening. Someone will do it, either as an official act of the court, or as a private passion. Effective use of this inevitable technology requires a citation system that will allow effective use of it for legal purposes. This will require controls and standardization. The best control is a citation form placed on a document by the court that produces it, and it is the best way to make it standard. Furthermore, numbering of paragraphs or other such method is easily done with modern word processing technology. There is no rational reason not to do it. As for those who prefer to use Lexis and Westlaw, this does not preclude their continued use, would it preclude the use of the standard citation forms. The requirement for parallel citations will quickly be adopted by courts (and Law Reviews). Edward H. Koster Attorney at Law 117 N. First St., Ste 111 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 313-995-8800 Voice 313-663-9062 Fax 313-801-9896 Voice Mail ehkoster@aol.com