The Lawyer's Guide to Internet Research.

The Lawyer's Guide to Internet Research Kathy Biehl Tara Calishain Scarecrow Press, Inc. http://www.scarecrowpress.com [phone] 352 pp., $35

This guide is a treasure trove of legal resources on the Web, organized into concise chapters covering many aspects of legal research. After giving a general description of the necessary tools for Internet research, the authors tackle the momentous feat of sorting through the myriad legal-research Web sites, including in each chapter a list of sites and descriptions of what each one offers.

Kathy Biehl, a sole practitioner turned writer/researcher, and Tara Calishain, the owner of a writing and research firm, write in the introduction that they have organized the book so that readers will have the "solution to any research task at a glance." They deliver on this promise.

The book is divided into 16 chapters, the first four of which contain general information about the World Wide Web and what attorneys will need to make the most of their research sessions. Beginning with Chapter 5--"Locating Caselaw"--the book delves into the nuts and bolts of legal research on the Internet, providing reference lists of the most helpful and comprehensive Web sites available for particular areas of research.

For example, in the chapter devoted to statutory research, the authors begin their list with federal statutory research sites, then move on to comprehensive sites for state law research. As the list continues, its focus narrows to individual state sites, then to those that provide municipal codes. Most of the chapters use this upside-down-triangle approach, beginning with the most comprehensive sites and ending with sites that are tailored to a specific jurisdiction.

In addition to covering the expected legal-research topics--case law, statutes, and court information--the book provides information on where to obtain government forms online, where to go for online directories of experts and consultants, and how to research a particular area of law, a topic that will be of special interest to plaintiff attorneys.

For example, the sites pertaining to personal injury law include one that provides legal, insurance, and medical practice resources and one that links to medical dictionaries, libraries, and institutes. For attorneys who practice family law, the list includes a site that provides access to the divorce statutes of every state.

The book also offers an impressive list of sites that one may not initially associate with law but that are helpful to attorneys. One chapter, "General Research Resources," provides sites for reference information, including everything from online dictionaries to entire encyclopedia sets.

The authors, while touting the advantages of Internet research, also acknowledge its limitations. For example, case citations from the official reporters and most legal periodicals and law reviews are still not available online, unless the attorney uses commercial research services like Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis. As the authors frequently emphasize, however, the Internet is constantly expanding, and what is not available one day may very well be the next. The authors even provide online updates to the book that inform readers of the latest developments in Internet legal research.

If attorneys want to begin replacing library time with mouse clicks, they should be aware that the book does not give complete instructions on how to do research on a particular site. While some sites are self-explanatory, others may require some time to learn how to use them.

Overall, this book is highly recommended for attorneys who want to save time and money by learning how to point and click their way to effective legal research. It takes an initial investment of time to become familiar with all that the book has to offer, but the returns are well worth it.

Jennifer Cragg is an associate editor of ATLA's Law Reporter.