About the Author Paul Jacobsen (jacobsen@brainerd.net)

Jacobsen has fully integrated the Internet into his legal practice, using it for everything from communicating with clients to conducting free legal research. He is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and St. Olaf College.

1. [Introduction]
2. [Free Research]
3. [Email]
4. [Caselaw]
5. [Secondary Legal Resources]
6. [Megasites]
7. [Discussion Groups]
8. [Commentary Section]

Net Law: How Lawyers Use the Internet was released in January of 1997. Using first person accounts from over forty lawyers, Net Law can save vast amounts of time for legal researchers using the advice of already experienced Net-users.

Net Law has received glowing reviews from many publications and attorneys. For example, Robert A. Stein, the Executive Director of the American Bar Association, said of Net Law:

"Paul Jacobsen has written a very useful and readable book particularly for those new to the Internet. Net Law is not only a list, glossary, dictionary and index of terms, phrases and Internet etiquette, but it also provides the varying points of view and experiences of many practitioners from around the nation. More importantly, it has captured the relaxed, informal, seemingly carefree, yet very deliberate and precise aura of the Internet. The layout and style help the first-timer, as well as the more experienced, feel comfortable even before signing on."

Jerry Lawson, Internet Tools for Attorneys, said:

"This book is written in a casual, easy to read style. Its approach is inductive, not analytical. It concentrates on the actual experiences of real attorneys, with an approach that is less tutorial than journalistic. The author quotes other attorneys extensively, and to good effect."

In the May 12, 1997 issue of Law and Politics, Tim Broeker said:

"Jacobsen's new book, Net Law: How Lawyers Use the Internet, is chock-full of real-life anecdotes and advice from attorneys who have already integrated the Internet into their day-to-day work. Finish it, and you'll actually know what you're talking about if you think the World Wide Web is an unpredictable gadget for people with way too much time on their hands.

"The book also contains a helpful Internet training section that steers you through the basics of picking an Internet service provider, using tools such as Web browsers and news readers for research and other common Internet applications. The book's true strength lies in the first-person accounts from lawyers who have already mastered the basics for you."

Contact the publisher, O'Reilly Associates, for information on obtaining a copy of Net Law.

If you've read Net Law and have any comments, send us a message.

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