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Investigative Tools for Paralegals
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Published: September 30, 2008
Author: Katherine Barber
Axley Brynelson, LLP's diverse areas of practice often require thinking and theorizing "outside of the box." As a paralegal working in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice defense and general liability defense, I have found several Internet sites that help make my job easier and help our attorneys find information relevant to their cases in an expeditious manner. Oftentimes this information is free, which ultimately saves our clients money.
Starting with personal injury, many of the basics are available on-line for free:
Internet sites are also an invaluable tool to research a variety of medical conditions. There is an abundance of medical information available on-line. Of course, many sites require fees for providing this information, such as specific medical journals, but basic medical information is still free. Most medical illustration sites now charge for their services. Medical illustrations for use at trial and mediation are available from a variety of businesses on-line, such as MediVisuals. This is far easier and faster than methods used in the past.
Although many sites require fees for providing information, one can view information for reference prior to ordering. Aerial photographs are often important in the practice area of real estate and other areas of our legal practice. Aerial photographs are available at on the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office's Web site. Additionally, most counties have planning and zoning, mapping, surveying and/or land conservation departments which use aerial photographs from the USGS. Other sites and resources available for aerial photography include:
Many times an attorney will request information on weather conditions for a specific date. Climate information for specific dates is available from the National Climatic Data Center, and from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.
These are just a few of the sites I have found very useful. Because of the magnitude of information now available on-line, my day to day list of useful sites continues to increase and I am continually amazed at what can be found.
Kate Barber is a paralegal at the law firm of Axley Brynelson, LLP. For more information about investigative tools for paralegals, contact Kate at kbarber@axley.com or (608) 283-6734.
Axley Brynelson is pleased to provide articles, legal alerts, podcasts and videos for informational purposes, but we are not giving legal advice or creating an attorney/client relationship by providing this information. The law constantly changes, and our publications may not be currently updated. Before relying on any legal information of a general nature, please consult legal counsel as to your particular situation. While our attorneys welcome your comments and questions, keep in mind that any information you provide us, unless you are now a client, will not be confidential.
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