July 2012 Archives

FindLaw's free legal information is more powerful than a locomotive, and we know web users want answers faster than a speeding bullet. Or at least, as fast as their Internet connections will allow.

That's why FindLaw's super teams of attorneys and engineers are fine-tuning our website as part of a heroic project called Green Lantern.

Why "Green Lantern?" The term came up in a staff meeting, around the time of the 2011 movie of the same name. For anyone familiar with the movie or the comic book character, the name is actually quite fitting.

There are a lot of legal issues staring us in the face every day. Take, for instance, jury duty. Some people can't wait to receive a jury duty summons. If you're not one of those people -- and it's okay if you're not - maybe you'd like to know exactly what you're getting into.

Let's say you go online to the New York State Unified Court System's jury pool news page. There, you can find the answers to juror-centric crossword puzzles for the last 13 years.

Or, if you want real information, you could turn to FindLaw's Legal U post, "How to 'Do' Jury Duty in New York," and learn how long you're required to be at the courthouse, how much you get paid, and how to delay your duty if you have a scheduling conflict.

You're not a lawyer, which is why you come to FindLaw's "Learn About the Law" section when you need help with a legal question. The legal professionals who translate "legalese" into plain English and offer practical guidance on a wide variety of topics all approach their subject matter a little differently, even if the overall mission remains constant.

Nicole Johnson, Senior Editor of Consumer Core Content and a licensed attorney, recently discussed how she revamped our Elder Law section to better serve our users' needs. She said the first thing she did was "step into the shoes" of those most likely to seek information about elder care.

What do FindLaw.com visitors have in common? For one thing, you're all extremely smart and good-looking. O.K. that last part is just our opinion. However, we do have some interesting data to back up the rest of this information.

Let's start with a closer look. By tracking where our website visitors go when they arrive at FindLaw.com, we can make two broad assumptions:

1. You're super-curious about legal issues, and
2. You have an eclectic taste in legal topics.

How do we know this, and how do we produce content to meet your super-curious, eclectic tastes?

Summer in our sunny California FindLaw.com office is always a welcome time of year. In addition to temperatures rising outside, there are a lot of hot items being produced within our office in the coming months we are excited about. Blogs, legal content, answers community and social media...to say the least, we are a busy bunch!

Here's a look at various aspects of our website that are as hot fireworks on the 4th...

Summer and sports are synonymous, so it is no surprise that our law and sports blog, Tarnished Twenty is so popular these days. Check it out for updates on everything from the Sandusky and Roger Clemens verdicts to athletes getting in trouble with the law. Written by attorneys who also happen to be huge sports fans, we break down what the charges are and what it means for their careers, legally speaking.