Across Ontario, lawyers’ desks are a little less cluttered this summer. In late March, the Law Society of Upper Canada notified its members that the Ontario Reports — published as a weekly case reporter in print format for more than 100 years — was going digital. Less than two months after that announcement, the majority of lawyers were no longer receiving their traditional print copy of the reporter, and had been automatically switched to the new format.
Even so, it remains unclear whether lawyers will warm to the new electronic edition, which is a digital replica of the printed version. The Law Society turned down requests to provide web stats on the publication’s new digital readership.
For Jessica Bookman, an associate at ThorntonGroutFinnigan LLP, reading the ORs online just isn’t the same. “The ORs now get lost in the flurry of email activity,” she says. Other lawyers, like Brett Rideout, welcome the change. “They hit the nail on the head with the format,” says the Genest Murray LLP associate. Rideout cites easy navigation, a two-page view and a table of contents with links to particular sections as features that make the online version easy to read.
Still, there will always be lawyers who want to get their reporter in print. Starting in May, the Law Society offered lawyers the opportunity to opt-in to continue to receive the paper version. But even lawyers who are less than enthusiastic about the electronic version view the shift as inevitable. “I feel guilty about wasting paper so I probably won’t opt back in,” says Bookman. “At the same time, the digital version will probably get less attention from me.”
For tech-savvy lawyers, the switch failed to take advantage of all that digital publishing has to offer. “The web design technologies now used on the internet and social media are highly advanced,” says Garry J. Wise, founding partner of Wise Law Office. The law blogger feels the launch should have been run by social media experts who could have realized the true potential of the new format.
At press time, the digital edition could not be downloaded and saved. And, while easy to read on an iPhone, the ORs had limited functionality on a BlackBerry, the profession’s handheld of choice. Anand Ablack, director of content development and acquisition for LexisNexis Canada, the company that publishes the ORs for the Law Society, said they are looking into making a downloadable product available and that pending versions of the ORs will also be optimized for the iPad. However, improving capabilities for the Black- Berry is not currently “on the radar.”
Calling all pack rats
Thinking of sticking with the printed ORs? You’ll need more shelf space if you want to keep a collection of the weekly case reporter. Precedent helps with your long-term planning and interior decorating.
The stats:*
- Weight of one year (52 editions) of ORs: 10.5kg
- Width of one year of ORs: 52cm
- Years of ORs storable on an Ikea Billy bookcase: 9.2
*Based on the April 23, 2010 print edition of the ORs
Safety and organizational tip: Start shelving from the bottom right corner and work your way to the top left for chronological convenience and maximum stability.