Consumers using the Internet to get even by finding top legal talent, says Silicon Valley attorney.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 1995--San Jose attorney Richard Alexander has become one of the nation's first attorneys to join the ever-growing ranks of Internet users with a World Wide Web information site, and says the high-tech tool can help consumers "get even" by affording them quick access to the best legal talent available.

The Internet -- commonly referred to as the "Information Superhighway" -- is a vast network of individual databases and information "libraries" which enables users to access nearly unlimited amounts of information in seconds.

Comprising approximately two million host computers, 25 million individual users and 45,000 separate networks in 200 countries, the Internet is one of the fastest growing media today and that tremendous growth is expected to continue well into the 21st century.

"The information superhighway is a fantastic way for consumers to achieve a level playing field when they go up against big business in the courtroom," says Alexander, whose firm of six attorneys specializes in representing consumers and small business across the United States in class actions involving defective products, dangerous chemicals and fraud.

"Serving the public and achieving excellence means providing consumers with solid, reliable information," says Alexander. He encourages "lawyers to be on the `net' to help consumers find lawyers with the `right' experience. The Information Superhighway is a fantastic way to provide the public with that critical information and assist them in making an informed decision when hiring an attorney."

"For example, if you call up my home page, you'll find a detailed list of cases and results," says Alexander. "That is information you simply can't find in the yellow pages or a television ad. So, ultimately, this is a move that empowers consumers by giving them information they need to compete."

Alexander has joined the ranks of attorneys on the World Wide Web through the efforts of Kevin Thomason, President of TSW Limited, the first Internet service specifically for law firms. "What we do is very simple," says Thomason, a 1994 Hastings law school graduate, "attorneys provide us with information about their practices that helps the public learn more about them and our legal system. We create Internet statements for these firms and provide a way for millions to learn more about the law 24 hours a day, seven days a week." Thomason started TSW Limited in 1994.

Thomason recommends that attorneys post real "content" at their websites. "The Internet traditionally has been the province of educators and researchers -- it's where you find information. Our philosophy is to combine advertising and useful content that can't be found anywhere else."

Thomason's website features dozens of original articles written by attorneys on a number of topics. Any and all of these articles may be found through a full-text search and retrieval engine similar to many online databases.

"One of the best examples of how attorneys can serve the public on the Internet is The Alexander Law Firm's Consumer Law Page," says Thomason. The Consumer Law Page includes twenty articles of interest to lawyers and consumers involved in consumer class actions, plus a library of more than 100 articles on consumer-related issues from automobile recalls, credit card frauds and defective products to fraud in real estate sales.

For More Information

Richard Alexander has served as a media spokesperson to television, radio and print reporters on a wide range of consumer law issues, and he welcomes the opportunity to field questions and to provide commentary on his World Wide Web experiences. His website can be found at http://tsw.ingress.com/tsw/talf/talf.html. You can contact Alexander directly via e-mail at [e-mail] or call 408/289-1776.

Kevin Lee Thomason can be reached at [e-mail] or 415/864-3175. You can visit TSW Limited's WWW site at http://tsw.ingress.com/tsw.

CONTACT: The Alexander Law Firm

Richard Alexander, 408/289-1776

or

TSW Limited

Kevin Thomason, 415/864-3175

or

PRx Inc.

Benjamin Baer, 408/287-1700