James I. Keane Memorial Award

Excellence in eLawyering

About the James I. Keane Memorial Award
The James I. Keane Memorial Award is named for Jim Keane, the founding Chair of the ABA eLawyering Task Force. The Task Force was created in 2000, when ABA President William G. Paul, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, took the unusual and creative step of asking a Section to assume responsibility for one of his presidential initiatives, namely an examination of ways that lawyers could use the Internet and other electronic resources to deliver legal services to people of moderate means more efficiently and effectively.

What is eLawyering?
ELawyering is doing legal work – not just marketing – over the Web. Pioneering practitioners have found dramatic new ways to communicate and collaborate with clients and other lawyers, produce documents, settle disputes, interact with courts, and manage legal knowledge. ELawyering encompasses all the ways in which lawyers can do their work using the Web and associated technologies. Think of lawyering as a “verb” – interview, investigate, counsel, draft, advocate, analyze, negotiate, manage, … – and there are corresponding Internet-based tools and technologies.

There are exciting initiatives underway now that deserve attention by all lawyers – present and future. While admittedly just a subset of the vast legal technology world, eLawyering and its lawyer-less analogs present fundamental challenges for our profession. There are great dangers, but also great opportunities for attorneys in the coming decade. To be successful in the coming era, lawyers will need to know how to practice over the Web, manage client relationships in cyberspace, and ethically offer “unbundled” services.

What people are saying about ABA TECHSHOW

"ABA TECHSHOW helps me stay on top of important IT trends and products affecting the legal profession. It is a 'must-do' event for anyone in the legal community..."

"As a first-time attendee, I was very impressed by the caliber of the presenters and the diversity of sessions. More importantly, the 'experts' were extremely approachable, whether in the expo, at the Help Desk, or at the organized social events. I met a lot of knowledgeable people and can hardly wait to return next year to learn more!"

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