General Tools

Tools Highlights

• A to Z Collection of Links to calculators and tools grouped alphabetically.
• Desktop Detective Collection of Tools for finding out information about people both in Australia and overseas using the resources of the internet.
• Legal Assistant Collection of Tools for legal assistants.

Boolean Searching & Search Engines

• Bare Bones 101: A basic tutorial on searching the web
• Google Advanced Search Terms for constructing sophisticated searches
• Google - The Editor's personal favourite
• Ask (or Ask Jeeves) - Allows you to search by asking plain english questions
• Dogpile - combines a number of search engines into one.
• Bing - better than most at searching images
• WolframAlpha - aggregates information from a number of sources into a summary page

The Art of War

• Art of War by Sun Tzu - read the book
• Watch the Movie on YouTube

Wikipedia says "...one of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. It is also one of the most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on Eastern and Western military planning, business tactics, and beyond."

Foolkit would add "and to the strategies of clever lawyers"

Foolkit would also match this with a favourite, "Getting to Yes" by Fisher, Ury and Patton. That one you will have to buy.

• Critical Success Skill: Knowing When Someone is BSing
• Improving Your Negotiating Skills

Writing Skills & Document Assembly

An excellent book on improving writing skills for everyone in a legal office is English Essentials - "The wouldn't-be-without-it guide to writing well". It is written by Mem Fox and Lyn Wilkinson and published by Macmillan.

• Writing "It" Is a Start; Getting "It" Read Is the Goal
• A Time of Transition: Logical Links to Move the Reader Forward
• Proofreading for the proper setting out of a document
• Proofreading and editing tipps
• Netiquette.  "Netiquette" is network etiquette, the do's and don'ts of online communication.
• Smart Document Generation
• Listen to What You Write: Your Ears Will Tell You if You're Communicating Ideas Effectively
• 20 Ways to Write Like a Tool

Special Interest Legal Groups

• Australian Women Lawyers
• Victorian Women Lawyers
• Women Barristers Association
• National Women's Justice Coalition
• Australian Insurance Law Association
• Australian Lawyers' Alliance
• Australian Professional Indemnity Group
• Collaborative Law in Australia
• Copyright Council of Australia
• Insolvency Practitioners Association of Australia
• Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
• LESANZ (Licensing Executives Society)

Forms

Court Forms

See our courts pages for Court Rules and Forms.

State Government

Find a Form - search for any Victorian forms

Many Victorian Government forms can be also be accessed through Victoria Online. Use the Search facility.

Registrar of Titles

Land Titles Forms, Guides and Fees are available to either print or to complete on-line. Foolkit discourages the Public from attempting any dealings with real property on the basis of the Forms alone. Please see a solicitor or licensed conveyancer.

State Revenue Office

SRO Forms, Rulings & Publications

Consumer Affairs Victoria

• Incorporated Associations Forms & Fees
• Registering a business name

Links

More Links!!!! Aren't there enough in Foolkit for you in already? (Mostly from Federal Court)

• AustLII
• LawCite the alternative search engine by AustLII
• The Civil Lawyer Blog
• The Lamp Post: High Court of Australia Case Summaries and Comment
• Australian Libraries Gateway
• General Legal Research Links
• Jade Legal Research Service
• Law and Justice Foundation
• National Library of Australia

Research Tools

Instapaper: This is a very simple free addition to your browser's toolbar. When you find a page that's interesting and you don't have time to read it, just click the button. If you select text before clicking then this is added as a text comment.Also useful if you are collecting information on a topic. Try out its feature like add a folder, move (to a folder), view text only, archive and print in a range of formats including 3 column newspaper style.

• Harness the power of Google for legal research Part 1 (Part 2 not out yet)
• Locating Australian Legislation: when current doesn't mean current!
• Case law hack: understanding full text databases v case citators
• Law Library Research Guides - The University of Melbourne

Interesting Articles Published by Law Firms

Lexology - you can also subscribe for a daily email of topical information. 

Precedents

It is beyond the scope and budget of this site to provide a set of free precedents.

The LIV Bookshop sells a wide range of copyrighted Victorian legal forms, available in hard copy and electronic form.

The The Law Society of NSW has a range of precedents that it sells. Although written for NSW Law, many are still of practical help for a Victorian Solicitor. Prices vary.

Legal Education

The Law Institute of Victoria has an excellent ongoing program of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Visit CPD Home and follow the links or scroll through LIV CPD Events Calendar.

Continuing Professional Development
470 Bourke Street
Melbourne 3000

DX 350 Melbourne

GPO Box 263C
Melbourne 3001

Phone: (03) 9607 9387 or (03) 9607 9469
Email: cpd@liv.asn.au.

Access to Justice

• Richard Zorza's Access to Justice Blog
• Access to Justice Blog
• A Strategic Framework for Access to Justice in the Federal Civil Justice System
• Best Practices in the Use of Technology to Facilitate Access to Justice Initiatives
• Law Council Policy Statement on Rule of Law
• Data on Use of Libraries for Access to Law (see pages 55, 120 and 126)
• Pro Bono and Profit Are Not at Odds
• How to Successfully Build Pro Bono Work Into Your Practice
• Legal Australia-Wide Survey: Legal need in Australia