tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post11890275237387869..comments2024-03-28T02:29:13.507-07:00Comments on Legal Ruralism: Skype: the future of rural lawyering?Lisa R. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-45850221614854139622011-10-26T09:07:39.301-07:002011-10-26T09:07:39.301-07:00I agree with JWHS. In the article are some links d...I agree with JWHS. In the article are some links demonstrating the difficulty small communities face in obtaining broadband and reliable Internet. For this sort of project to work, Internet reliability and availability would need to expand. My hope is that the expansion of the Internet will bring with it an increased use of the Internet to provide services. <br /><br />In response to one of Scarecrow’s comments, I agree that serving the elderly population with this kind of technology is very difficult. My grandma, for example, who lives by herself in a rural area, has no intent to learn to use a computer or the Internet. She would rather pick up the phone or drive into town. Even if someone were on hand to assist with beginning the Skype session, as was my plan, the fear of using the technology might deter people from using it in the first place. Maybe as more tech-savvy generations age, videoconferencing will be a more feasible way to serve the elderly’s needs. <br /><br />In addition, maybe our generation will feel more comfortable sharing their legal issues over Skype (but of course, it could never replace the advantages of meeting with an attorney in person). I believe the conferences still need to take place in a private location, as Courtney mentioned. For my project, the computer at the community center was secluded in a small office with one computer and a closing door. Without this kind of setup, I think people would feel even less comfortable using Skype for their legal services. Finding a secluded room in a community center with a computer, however, is not easy.KBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14517191832417555528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-22369606572344138732011-10-08T19:24:59.229-07:002011-10-08T19:24:59.229-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.KBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14517191832417555528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-79316510974190419052011-10-05T00:07:20.240-07:002011-10-05T00:07:20.240-07:00Going off several of Kevin's points more in de...Going off several of Kevin's points more in detail:<br /><br />I know that in rural India, organizations such as World Health Partners use telepresence (ie telecommunications that are similar to Skype) to try to provide medical service throughout the geographically expansive country. There role is not to have individuals Skype one on one but to run it through some sort of health center with the aid of a physician, nurse, etc. This allows for things such as expert opinions and allows the small staff that is present to have the expertise and manpower as if they were a larger staff. I wonder if you could utilize this structure for lawyers. <br /><br />I also agree that people are reluctant to share in the same capacity over Skype as they would in real life. You want to talk with your lawyers and have some sort of trust (especially if the issue is very sensitive such as rape or domestic violence). If anything, Skype could be used after the relationship has been maintained. This could promote urban lawyers to be more willing to take on rural cases (both payed and probono).Patricijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07301065108893875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-75910057606045744062011-10-03T11:55:48.543-07:002011-10-03T11:55:48.543-07:00Dovetailing off of Kevin's comment, another ch...Dovetailing off of Kevin's comment, another challenge with Skyping legal services is serving the elderly. Rural communities are generally grayer than cities, and I think there may be a greater fear of computers among rural people,too. <br />Tele-medicine seems to be more about connecting rural doctors with experts in cities, who can benefit from visual information. A legal expert doesn't necessarily need to see visual evidence to provide an opinion, but perhaps deposition costs could be cut by using Skype.Scarecrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175915711253730674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-24848037103311648522011-09-28T09:09:20.190-07:002011-09-28T09:09:20.190-07:00I was so disappointed when I got to the part of th...I was so disappointed when I got to the part of this blog post that said no one attended the first clinic. Perhaps people felt they would be broadcasting their legal woes in an open room. I would be hesitant to share my legal problems with an attorney over the internet in a room where others could hear me (I'm assuming the room was setup like a computer lab?). Even if the setup provided potential clients with privacy, I would imagine those in rural areas have limited exposure to a technology like Skype. These people might feel uncomfortable and apprehensive about the technology. and be more likely to try it out if it was setup in their home. Once something like this caught on in a community (perhaps by the typically younger early adopters), I could see more people choosing to use the technology.CEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02633830407602623200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-86094189065594055692011-09-27T23:36:05.398-07:002011-09-27T23:36:05.398-07:00What do you think about the articles from last wee...What do you think about the articles from last week talking about poor internet in rural areas? Skype and other communications technology is always growing at a rate significantly quicker than the bandwidth-growth of rural areas. What good is it if we can't even talk to clients?JWHShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10866206678075080602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-52424555197652710792011-09-27T22:15:58.369-07:002011-09-27T22:15:58.369-07:00Aside from the technical issues associated with se...Aside from the technical issues associated with setting up video-conferencing for legal services in rural areas, I wonder how the physical remoteness impacts how willing people are to utilize these types of services. I think law is a very personal service where people feel more comfortable being able to meet their attorney in person rather than through a computer screen or over the phone. For example, in the firm I worked in over the summer, every single client wanted to come in for a meeting with the attorneys to discuss their legal matters before hiring the firm. They could have discussed their case over the phone and made the decision to hire the firm that way, but they all seemed to actually want to see the attorney in the flesh. The tele-medicine examples bring up an interesting counterpoint however, because I would imagine that most people would consider their health to be an even more personal matter than their legal concerns. But the success of tele-medicine programs undermines that argument. Perhaps tele-legal services just need to be around a little while longer to prove to rural people that it is a viable alternative and can be just as effective as tele-medicine.KevinNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817001832545833235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-20716857694019028032011-09-27T00:16:28.733-07:002011-09-27T00:16:28.733-07:00I think it is difficult enough to establish a lega...I think it is difficult enough to establish a legal clinic in a rural area where it will be consistently utilized, so definitely a web-clinic would probably be less enticing to attend. However, there is an obvious need for legal advice so it's not necessarily about not wanting those services. I think it also has to do with unfamiliarity with and the inconsistency of the internet (and all the gadgets associated with the world wide web) in rural areas. I know I don't have reliable internet services and i live in city!oceguerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09779330146502912142noreply@blogger.com