A Bygone Era

I have a large bookcase in my office full of Australian Law Reports. These books contain thousands of case law precedents with decided cases applying legal principles.

Prior to the internet and the digital age of doing business, lawyers, barristers and law firms had significant physical “law libraries” in house containing various loose leaf and hard cover books which they turned to on a regular basis. This tradition continued right through to when I was a younger lawyer and within the last decade. I can recall being faced with complex questions of law, looking up a citation, going in to the room to find the information within the relevant book, taking it out, photocopying it and using it in support of my case or argument at Court. If I didn’t have access to the case or report I needed, I would sometimes write to the Supreme Court Library in Brisbane and staff there would copy it and send it back to me within a day or so. They would always go out of their way to help.

Now, lawyers like myself have direct electronic access to the Supreme Court Library as a “virtual legal library”. This gives us access to thousands of cases, articles, reports and annotated legislation from our office computer. This often vital information can be found after a few clicks of a mouse and usually within a few minutes if one knows where to look. I use this virtual “library” on a very regular basis, particularly where the cases I handle often involve very complex issues of law.

As society evolves, we generally evolve with it. We now live in an era where we often have access to communication and information at our finger tips. With this increased level of digital accessibility, I think it brings with it an increased level of expectation from the context of consumer demand. Every year that passes, some of us feel like we are a little bit “busier” than the last. Despite this, I am of the view that technology like what we have now can be of great assistance to help us meet these demands quickly in our fast paced society.

We are lawyers based in Maryborough, Queensland. We assist clients with legal cases in Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Childers, Gayndah, Gympie, The Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and beyond. If you or someone you know are looking for an experienced and compassionate lawyer to assist no matter how difficult or complex the problem or case, please call our Maryborough law office on (07) 4191 6470.