The Gazette 1995

GAZETTE

MAY/JUNE 1995

T E C H N O L O G Y

N O T E S

LAWLINK - Bringing the Information Highway to Law

your computer to the recipient's. Modern modems cost significantly less than a fax machine and can transfer information at a higher speed. Transfer rates of 1,000 characters per second are quite normal, meaning that transmission times are significantly reduced. In addition to improving the transfer speed, E-Mail ensures that the document will be received in machine readable form and error free. As well as its E-Mail service, LAWLINK also provides subscribers with access to a range of information sources. By accessing the Land Registry, solicitors can search the names index for an individual and have a copy folio transmitted directly back to their office. This eliminates delay and reduces the costs associated with manually retrieving the same information. By using LAWLINK to query the Companies Registration Office a subscriber has direct access to the pertinent facts concerning every registered company in Ireland. Since LAWLINK communicates directly with the relevant government agency our information is always the most current available. As a member of LAWLINK, a solicitor can now receive the Legal Diary in electronic form. We have, with the co-operation of Mount Salus LAWLINK subscribers see it first! Our free, user-friendly software allows you to search the listings for any relevant item, once again saving time and reducing the possibility of error. Press, access to every issue the evening before publication, so Now that more and more essential information sources have become computerised, there are increased opportunities for remote access. We at LAWLINK are committed, through our ongoing development programme, to continuously enhance the already significant benefits of the system.

As all LAWLINK messages, whether E-Mail or database queries, are transmitted over WIRTRADE's X.400 service, our subscribers are guaranteed a quick, error-free service. In addition since EIRTRADE conforms to international X.400 messaging standards LAWLINK subscribers automatically become part of the world-wide E-Mail community with all the advantages this entails. *Jerry Godsell is Chief Executive of LA WLINK Ltd. He can be contacted at 19 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Telephone 01 661 1954. Lady Solicitors' Golf Outing The Annual Lady Solicitors' Golf Outing will take place at Kilkenny Golf Club on Friday, 25 August, 1995. All last year's players will receive a circular at the beginning of July. If you did not take part last year, but would like details, please telephone 677 0335 with your name and address.

by Jerry Godsell*

LAWLINK, the nation-wide electronic network specifically designed for the Irish legal profession, was established with the active participation of the Law Society's Technology Committee. Its dual aims are to facilitate electronic communications amongst solicitors and provide remote access to both public and private databases. Largely through the efforts of the Technology Committee, the majority of solicitors practices now have both computerised their accounting systems increasing commercial awareness of the "Information Highway", have led to a greater appreciation of the benefits to be obtained from electronic communications. The overwhelming acceptance of the fax machine has proven the necessity for quick, immediate transfer of legal documentation. Though adequate for short messages, the inherent limitations of the fax become apparent when longer documents are transmitted. Firstly, since individual pages are faxed as images, they are not sent in machine recognisable form. Thus, in order to be processed by the recipient's word processor, they must be re-typed. This will cause delay and may inadvertently create errors. Secondly, longer documents take significant time to transmit. Pages often have to be re-sent due to transmission errors and fax machines can be unavailable during peak times. When these problems occur office efficiency is degraded and costs are increased. LAWLINK's E-Mail is the answer to these problems. Using a modem, documents can be sent directly from and adopted the use of word processing software. These developments, together with

All participants must have a current handicap.

Wanted - 1) Full or part set of Irish Statutes; 2) Full or part set of Irish Reports; 3) Full or part set of Halsbury (any edition); 4) Full or part set of Butterworths Forms and Precedents; or any of the above. Box Number: 2525

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