Florida Bar/University of Florida alliance helps lawyers get ready for Y2K.

With the turn of the century only 10 short months away, it is becoming increasingly critical that lawyers assess what problems may occur with their office computers on January 1, 2000.

I know much has been written about "the millennium bug." You may well be tired of hearing the term "Y2K." You have no doubt heard some experts predict dire results, while other experts say the first midnight of the millennium will come and go with not much more than a blip on the screen.

As the practice of law has become more and more dependent upon technology, though, our potential exposure to Y2K problems has grown. And while some judges may understand if you miss a filing deadline because your calendaring software went haywire, others may not.

Andrew Adkins of the University of Florida College of Law's Legal Technology Institute, in a booklet on Y2K problems and solutions written for The Florida Bar, explained where we now stand: "The Year 2000 problem has become well known and is currently discussed in the popular media. It had its origins in the early days of computers when computer memory and storage such as hard drives were expensive and programmers sought to save costs by decreasing the amount needed for both. No one thought that software solutions implemented in those days would become the "legacy systems" of today. Many software systems developed in the 1960s and 1970s were originally designed for a "shelf life" of only a few years; no one knew we'd still be using them today.

Briefly, the problem arises because many internal dates in computers are kept in month-day-year format with only two characters being allocated for the year (i.e., a "six digit" date). When the millennium arrives and the year is entered as "00" many computer calculations will assume the year is 1900 instead of 2000 and produce erroneous results.

"The Y2K problem can affect both the computer hardware itself, the software that runs on it, other hardware, and even such things as stationery, forms, and date stamps. The solution involves an analysis of all relevant systems and what is meant by `Y2K compliance.'

"Y2K compliance means that all applicable systems, be they hardware, software, or other process will continue to function as required when the year 2000 arrives. This includes the transition from December 31, 1999, to January 1, 2000, itself, and all dates thereafter."

Y2K Compliance

For more than a year your Bar has been taking steps to help office lawyers, legal assistants, secretaries and any others involved in law office administration get up-to-speed on the issue, culminating in our alliance with the Legal Technology Institute. Working with our Law Office Management Assistance Service (LOMAS), the LTI staff has published The Year 2000 Resource Handbook and Planning Guide for Lawyers, a clearly written booklet designed to help you assess potential problems and take steps to correct them before they affect your practice. The booklet is available on the Bar's website (www.FLABAR.org), and available in printed form at cost. To order a copy, send $10 plus your local sales tax to LOMAS, The Florida Bar, 650 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee 32399-2300.

LOMAS and LTI have teamed up, also, to present seminars ranging from one-hour luncheon programs to in-depth, daylong studies of how Y2K may affect lawyers and their clients. To arrange a seminar, contact J.R. Phelps, director of LOMAS, at [phone].

Also available on the website now is a continuing education program on Y2K issues that allows you to earn three CLE hours at no charge. The program--which has gotten very good reviews by our members --was put together by the Illinois State Bar Association and shared with Florida lawyers at our request.

The LOMAS and Communications Division staffs also have posted a number of articles on Y2K topics on the website, and will pass along more information as it is gathered.

I hope you will take advantage of these resources, and avoid the yearend scramble to become Y2K compliant.