While the main purpose for a legal educational institution is
to prepare students to enter into the legal profession as practicing
attorneys, law schools are uniquely positioned to enable access
to legal information. Primarily, law schools need to provide access
to legal information for their student body, but the lessons learned
from this experience can be translated to broadening and developing
information access policies for all institutions, especially governmental
ones involved in legal information dissemination.
The Internet and computer technologies open up new possibilities
for improving access to legal information and reducing costs to
government and public interest disseminators. Law schools can
help in the development of these possibilities and, not only increase
the quality of the learning experience at the law school, but
play a key role in determining public information policy. The
law school community has an opportunity to help design the future
and create the models that will lay the foundation for a new era
in access to legal information.
Kenneth P. Mortensen
Director of Operations and Teaching Fellow
Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy
Villanova University School of Law
299 North Spring Mill Road
Villanova, PA 19085
kmortens@mail.law.vill.edu
610-5197652 - voice
610-5197033 - fax