Using Internet E-Mail and
Building a Personal (Firm) Web Page

Part I: Electronic Mail

1. What It Is
   1. E-mail was one of the first uses of the Internet in the 1960's, when the Internet's predecessor, ARPANET, was created to allow paperless communication (during the Cold War) among the U.S. Government, educational institutions, and defense contractors.
   2. When Compuserve and America Online began their services in the 1970's, the U.S. public at large was introduced to this speedy method of communication.
   3. Today, few adults in the U.S. (and even fewer children over age seven) are unfamiliar with e-mail.
2. How To Use It
   1. For those of you already using e-mail, please feel free to skip the following section and proceed to the next section which interests you.
   2. For those of you new to e-mail, here's the recipe:
      1. An account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
         1. AOL, Compuserve, and internet service providers such as Concentric, Mindspring, and Primary.net all offer these services.
         2. AOL and Compuserve do more "hand holding" than other, more direct commercial services.
         3. For a directory of internet service providers (sometimes called "access providers") go to http://thelist.internet.com/
      2. An e-mail software program.
         1. E-mail software often comes bundled with a "browser".
            1. The Netscape Communicator Suite includes Netscape Navigator for web browsing, Netscape Messenger for e-mail, Netscape Collabra for collaborating on projects across networks, and Netscape Composer for writing web pages and rich text e-mail. Communicator can be downloaded at http://www.netscape.com/computing/download. NOTE: If you only want to browse the web, you may download only Netscape Navigator; if you want e-mail capability also, download Netscape Communicator.
            2. Similarly, add-on options to Microsoft's Internet Explorer can be downloaded at no charge at http://www.microsoft.com/ie . Outlook Express is the add-on for e-mail and newsgroups. Another add-ons is NetMeeting for video and audio conferencing.
         2. Specialized E-mail programs such as Eudora Pro, Pegasus Mail, and Calypso may be purchased in stores or downloaded from the Internet. For example,
            1. "Eudora Light" is available for download at no charge at its publisher's site http://eudora.qualcomm.com/eudoralight/
            2. "Eudora Pro" can be purchased in stores such as Best Buy for as little as $25.00, through catalogues, or downloaded online (after a trial period there is a charge for it) at http://eudora.qualcomm.com/pro_email/
         3. You can download free or trial copies of these and other e-mail programs at http://tucows.xmission.com/mail95.html
      3. A computer with an operating system (such as Windows 95 or 98, or Linux) which can run a version of the software. If you want to run the latest version of a selected e-mail program, it is suggested that you have at least a Pentium 133 MHz processor, at least 16 (preferably 32 or 64) megabytes of RAM (memory) and at least 2 gigabytes of hard drive space.
   3. Downloading
      1. If you do not install an e-mail program from a CD-ROM or diskettes, you will "download" it onto your computer's hard disk drive. To download these or other software programs from the Internet, you need a browser. Windows 95 and Windows 98 come equipped with some version of Internet Explorer's browser. Most Linux distributions come with some form of Netscape. You will also need to be connected to the internet, so you need to have obtained an account with an ISP (see above).
         1. To download, go to a web site such as "Tucows" (URL is listed above) and click on the link of the program you want to download.
         2. The browser will ask you where you wish to download the program. You must choose a file path which you will remember. You could make a folder called "software installation archives" or something similar on your hard disk drive ("C" drive) and direct the browser to download the software into that folder. Or just press the "up" folder arrow until you get to the top level, i.e., the desktop.
         3. Once the program has been downloaded, go to that file (for example your desktop) and double click on the icon. This process activates the "executable" (.exe) file which installs the program to your hard drive (before this step, you have "downloaded" the program but will be unable to use it until you activate the .exe file).
         4. You will have to configure the e-mail program with information supplied by your Internet Service Provider. (See the sample directions in the first attachment).
            TIP: Always keep the hard-copy file with the ISP and e-mail information in an handy and accessible place.
         5. E-mail can be accessed from any computer station which has an e-mail program, by reconfiguring the program, using the information from your ISP. However, it is generally not advisable to change the e-mail program's configuration unless the owner consents.
      2. Web-based e-mail has become popular and does not require an ISP. One example is http://www.hotmail.com . Note, however, that those accounts are also subject to "terms of agreement" and are dependent on the continuity of the web site. You still need access to the web, by a personal account with an ISP (which comes with an e-mail account anyway) or a company/educational institution dial-up account.
      3. Many national and internationally based ISP's (e.g., Concentric, Netcom) have local access numbers in other cities, saving long distance charges for checking e-mail from other locations as you travel.
3. The many faces of E-mail
   1. Many lawyers communicate with each other and with clients via e-mail.
      1. Because this is so, issues of security and encryption become important.
      2. The materials preceding this outline review the ethical issues surrounding e-mail.
      3. See the attached excellent article about encryption (reprinted with the author's permission) by Jerry Lawson, the author of The Complete Internet Handbook for Lawyers, published by the ABA. The article can be found online at http://netlawtools.com/pubkey.html.
      4. To learn much more about e-mail, visit the following URL: http://www.everythingemail.com.
   2. Mailing Lists
      1. Many Lawyers use the e-mail to subscribe to "E-mail Mailing Lists" sponsored by individuals and organizations. Subscribing to a mailing list (often referred to as a Listserv [sic]) means that you automatically receive every e-mail posted by every other active participant in the list.
      2. BAMSL maintains lists which may be subscribed to by accessing http://www.bamsl.org/listinfo.htm . In fact, the reference to Jerry Lawson's articles was posted by Dennis Kennedy to BAMSL's techpractice list.
      3. Other listservs are run by the American Trial Lawyers Association, committees and sections of the American Bar Association and other organizations.
      4. A list of law-related listservs (and how to subscribe) is at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/lawlists/lawlists.txt
   3. One-way Mail: Subscribing to an update service (e-mail notification list): "push" technology.
      1. Suppose someone offered to deliver to your e-mail address everyday a summary of the latest breaking news on legal issues (with hypertext links to the articles or cases themselves)? That's what you would get if you sign up for "Law News Network," sponsored by the New York Law Journal. Visit its site at http://www.lawnewsnetwork.com and click on "legal newswire." You will be asked to subscribe and will receive daily e-mails discussing recent legal developments.
      2. Missouri Lawyers Weekly has an "alert" service which you can subscribe to if you have a subscription to the print publication. You can subscribe at http://www.missourilaw.com . (See the attached the subscription form and example e-mail alert, printed with permission.)
      3. You can get travel alerts, shopping alerts and other free subscriptions to "EZ-ines" by surfing the web or through your subscription to listservs.
      4. For an example of a law firm's web page offering e-mail alerts, see www.arentfox.com.
   4. E-mail Viruses
      1. Bad. Obtain virus software and update regularly. (Try McAfee or Norton AntiVirus.
      2. Recent e-mail-borne viruses include "Melissa," the "Worm," etc.
      3. For more information on viruses and other nasties, visit the Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center.
   5. Attachments
      1. Uses the attachment feature of your e-mail software program.
      2. Sometimes there are conversion problems when the recipient uses, for example, a different word processing program than the sender.
         1. Word vs. WordPerfect.
         2. RTF could be a solution.
4. Terminate Telephone Tag: Practice Safe E-mail.

Part II: Developing a Firm Web Page

A Designer's Perspective

1. The Concept
   1. One of the newest and fastest growing media with which to advertise and market law firms is the Internet, and, specifically, the World Wide Web.
   2. The Web is well-suited to this task in that web pages are accessible anywhere in the world, anytime, with none of the associated costs of printing and mailing brochures and repeating the entire process (scrapping the old brochures) when the information therein becomes incorrect, obsolete, or in need of tweaking.
   3. The Web can provide up-to-the minute, interactive content concerning law and the practice of law, whatever the specific area of expertise. It is versatile, reliable (if done correctly! - see below), and has a significant cost-to-benefit ratio potential if used properly.
2. The Look
   1. The Domain
      1. There are primarily three different choices for choosing domain characteristics, each progressively more "haute monde," and progressively easier to remember, say, or write.
         1. The user account URL
            1. e.g. http://www.provider.com/~yourfirm/
            2. Cumbersome, in that you have to remember both the provider domain name and the firm user name, and potentially describe the tilde character (~) to the more non-Web-savvy.
         2. The subdomain
            1. e.g. http://lawfirm.provider.com/
            2. Less cumbersome
         3. The top-level domain
            1. e.g. http://www.yourfirm.com/
            2. The technique of choice for all large law firms, and most small law firms.
            3. Straightforward, to-the-point, easy to remember and say, and looks very good on promotional materials
            4. For any firm web site with any meat whatsoever, really the only proper choice.
   2. The Site Design
      1. This is undeniably the element with the greatest variety of options; as much work (or more) should go into this as you would put into your flagship brochure or promotional materials.
      2. Designers have to worry about different browsers, different screen sizes, color depth, java capability, and a host of other options. The better the designer, the better these considerations will be taken into account.
      3. Designers
         1. Do-it-yourself
            1. Some ISPs and other services provide web-based templates and options to choose the design, layout, and content of your site
            2. Tends to make the site look canned, unprofessional, cookie-cutter
            3. e.g. lawyers.com
         2. Individual, contract designer
            1. Most likely has the necessary tools (knowledge of coding, hypertext markup language, graphics editors, etc.) to make a respectable web site
            2. Most likely charges by the hour
            3. You deal with one person, so you know exactly who to call to get things done, and you know how they operate.
         3. Service Provider Designers
            1. Varies in quality; has the potential to be as good as an individual freelance designer, but also has the potential to look canned
            2. Charge is usually by site (job)
         4. Professional web team, or individual in consultation with design team
            1. The option for a very professional, no-holds-barred website.
   3. The content
      1. Provided by you, the law firm and implemented by the web team
      2. Usually already done; just copy the text from your brochures and promotional materials.
      3. Makes the job of the web team easier if you already have the promotional text in digital format (e.g. WordPerfect, PageMaker)

1. The Cost
   1. Domains
      1. User name option
         1. Comes with the account needed to host the files. Runs anywhere from $10 to $50 per month.
      2. Subdomain
         1. Can usually be done for free at an additional nominal one-time feet, and then the monthly cost as above.
      3. Top-level domain
         1. Monthly hosting cost, plus $75 per year to register the domain with Network Solutions
   2. Site Design
      1. Do-it-yourself
         1. Free if it comes with the hosting service
         2. Lawyers.com has monthly cost
      2. Individual designer
         1. Varies with the desired complexity of the site, since they usually charge by the hour.
         2. Usually reasonable (typically $50-$60 per hour)
      3. ISP designer
         1. Varies by ISP
         2. Could be anywhere from $500 to $5000
      4. Design team
         1. Most costly option
         2. They will usually analyze the complexity of site you want and quote you a price
         3. Anywhere from $500 to $10,000, again depending on complexity.
   3. Site content
      1. Nil, if you have the copy in digital format; just e-mail the text to the design team, they'll do the rest.
      2. If you have to type it in, give it to a secretary, and have him or her type it and e-mail it - design teams tend to overcharge if they have to type in promotional materials.
2. Internet and Other Promotion
   1. Once you have a site, promote it! Put it on all of your brochures, the firm letterhead, e-mail signature files, everything! If you have a top-level domain, you can change providers, designers, or anything, and the address www.yourfirm.com will remain the same.
   2. Good designers and implementers will do the Internet promotions themselves. This includes registering with indices and search engines, such as Yahoo!, excite, WebCrawler, HotBot, etc. Then, if people use one of these search engines to find "Armadillo leash law attorneys in Abu Dhabi," your site will pop up, if that's what you in fact do.
   3. It helps the designer/implementer to brainstorm keywords for your site and come up with a short (10-20 word) description of your site to help the search engines catalogue it.
   4. If you take out newspaper, magazine, radio, or television ads, mention the site. Once there, the potential client is in your grasp and you can provide him or her with instant and up-to-date information and promotional material.
   5. Missouri Lawyers Weekly published Dennis Kennedy's article, Web Pages of St. Louis Law Firms: The Good, the Bad, and the Fuzzy. (7 Dec, 1998) This article can be accessed via the Web through Missouri Lawyers Weekly Archive Service for subscribers.