Legal Information Management

LSLW 572

  • Professor: Jack Baldwin LeClair M.A., Ed.S., J.D.
  • Office Hours: by appointment and posted on office door.
  • Office Phone: 973.655.7953
  • Email: leclairj@mail.montclair.edu (put LSLW 572 in the subject line)
  • TEXT: B = Burgunder, Lee B. Legal Aspects of Managing Technology Cincinnatti, Ohio: West Publishing, 2001; # refers to Chapters.
  • Suggested Additional Reading:A = Allison, G. Burgess - Lawyer's Guide to the Internet, (Chicago: American Bar Association, 19XX). ISBN1-57073-149-7. You may order books from Amazon.com
  • BL = Blackboard Materials: Blackboard Sign in under Legal Information Management

purpose of this course:

This course is a survey course. No prior computer knowledge is necessary or expected. The purpose of the course is as follows:

  1. To explore the importance of the internet and proprietary services in the acquisition of information.
  2. To acquaint students with the intellectual property concepts including copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and anti-trust issues.
  3. To acquaint the student with the use of a variety of computer tools available to assist the legal professionals in the performance of daily tasks in managing information.
  4. To understand how a web browsers and web authoring programs can help perform specific tasks useful in a law office.
  5. To teach a basic level of Internet literacy; an understanding of the terminology used by Interent users in the legal field.
  6. To introduce global intellectual market principle.

notes:

  1. Reading assignments must be prepared in advance of the class meeting date.
  2. Not all course material is covered in the Handouts. Examinations may include material covered by lecture, class discussion, handouts, demonstrations or lab sessions in addition to assigned readings.
  3. There will be no makeup examinations.
  4. Grades will be lowered if assignments are completed late.
  5. Class attendance is mandatory and class participation will be rewarded.
  6. Recommended reference books and supplemental reading materials will be assigned.
  7. Students are encouraged to work cooperatively.

topics & assigments:

All topics will be covered on a flexible schedule depending on the needs of the class, scheduling of computer facilities and other factors. Preliminary dates are provided.

 

Midterm Examination 30%
Final Examination 40%
Classroom Participation 10%
Special Project 20%

 

DATE ASSIGNMENT NOTES
PART I -Introduction to Legal Information Management - The tools, rules, fools, and mules.
06.28.05 Overview of the class; The changing nature of law and legal information: From Yellow Pads to Mouse Pads. Points of Information Exchange and the nature of Intellectual Property. The American Legal System. Resources at MSU and how the network operates ; Setting up your E-mail account; Using the WWW Setting up your World Wide Web browser.
06.30.05 U.S. Legal System Continued. U.S. Technology Policy and the foundation of legal information management: the hardware, the operating system, and the supporting software. Available products and resources. NT, Windows 95, Windows 3.1, UNIX, Linux, Apple or Apple Sauce etc. Intellectual Property Management and computer software B: CH 1; Check out Blackboard
07.05.05 International Technology Policy - The nature of the Internet Beast: Internet, Arpanet, Darpanet, Gopher. etc B: 2
07.07.05 Patent Fundamentals and Defending international patent rights; Students choose special projects. B: 3 & 4. Tips for using search engines
07.12.05 Hybrid problems - Computer Programs and Inernet Business Methods - More sites and cites: Grokster and MGM - The pitfalls of the open technology. B: 5, 6.
07.14.05 Static Data: Using Lexis/Nexis and other systems to collect needed data - Tradesecrets and Copyright Protection

B: 7, 8

Lexis Assignment

07.19.05 Copyright and the web

B: 9, 10

PART II - The Proprietary Sevices and Other Resources in the Legal Environment
07.21.05 MIDTERM EXAMINATION - Take Home. Domain Names and Trade names internationally. B: 11,12
07.26.05 Trademark - Managing the data in the dynamic legal environment: brief banks, client files, case files. Tort Liability and Privacy B: 13, 14
07.28.05 NO CLASS - Work on Projects  
08.02.05 Antitrust, Anticompetitive arrangements, and contracts.

B: 15, 16; HANDOUTS: Internet Protocol & Rules; Law Firm Information Systems

08.04.05

FINAL EXAMINATION