On August 3, 2001, Robert Grey, chair of the ABA Committee on Research About the
Future of the Legal Profession, presented a report to the American Bar Association’s Board of Governors on the future of the legal profession. He states that, “we are in the midst of the biggest transformation of civilization since the caveman began bartering. The practice of law and the administration of justice are at the brink of change of an unprecedented and exponential kind and magnitude. This Age of Technological Revolution, together with the globalization of business and competition, are transforming our profession and our system of justice with at least the same intensity as they are everything else around us”(4). The acknowledgment of the stark changes in the world and their affect on the legal profession is the first step to extending the transformation of society to include changes to legal practices and expectations.

The questions that were raised four years ago in the report are now even more pertinent:

• What does this unprecedented change imply for a precedent-oriented profession?
• How should the practice of law and the administration of justice change to take advantage of this rapidly changing world?
• How do we assure the survival of our core principles -those fundamental and enduring beliefs essential to the Rule of Law - in this Age of Revolution?
• What must we do now? (4)

One thing that is increasingly clear is that we cannot just keep reiterating the fact that the internet is revolutionizing the world. We must go further by embracing the challenges of practicing in cyberspace and by developing ways to capitalize on emerging technologies. InternetBar.org wants to provide a community for lawyers so that they can find and share resources and provide support for other lawyers around the world that are facing similar questions and problems. By creating a online community for the legal profession, InternetBar.org encourages the transnational and crosscultural collaboration needed to work through and resolve difficulties posed by cyberspace.

The introductory remarks of the ABA report remind us that, “the soul of any society is its law and its legal system”(4). The society emerging in cyberspace needs the presence and guidance of the legal community. InternetBar.org is making a concerted effort to train lawyers to effectively manage the challenges posed by internet communication technologies so that they can extend their skills to the benefit of cyberspace.

Join us at InternetBar.org and let your voice be heard on the transformation that is occurring. Your participation guides the success of the future of the legal community in cyberspace.

Read the ABA report: http://www.abanet.org/lawfutures/report2001/