Global plans for legal web site

Elizabeth Davidson reports

AN ambitious plan to create a web site which will signpost every piece of legal information ever put on the Internet worldwide, has been hatched in Manchester.

Business Legal Support, which provides training for lawyers and designs web sites, launched its World of Law site at the end of June. It aims to set up a library service facility which would point people in the direction of legal information around the world.

At the moment the site provides a limited signpost service for UK law which the company plans to expand steadily.

Web site designer Darren Cousins developed the 93-page site on his home computer. He said a new page providing information for barristers and another page on intellectual property would soon be added.

The site opens with a map of the world so users can click onto the country they want to know about, although only the UK is currently available. It also provides a list of clients for whom Business Legal Support has designed web sites.

Cousins said cases, legislation and a comments page where law firms could give their views on information technology, may also eventually be added.

"Our aim is to make this a unique resource for lawyers to find out everything they want to know," said Cousins.

Strathclyde University IT law lecturer Moira Simpson said: "It sounds like a very ambitious project which, although possible, would be very time-consuming.

"One of the things the web designer might do is use a web robot, or a programme which searches all indices and creates an index link to all sites."

Users accessing the web site will also be able to sign up for courses offered by the company, which is running short Internet awareness group classes in London and around the country between 29 July and 26 August.

The firm hopes the site will attract advertisers as well as helping it to market its web design service.

The World of Law site address is http://www.mar-group. co.uk/ morgan/.