County creates criminal law Web site County creates criminal law Web site (March 19, 2004)

Home page for use by non-lawyers

The Santa Clara County Bar Association has launched a new Web site for the public called www.calcrimlaw101.org.

The site is a public service designed to provide information to non-lawyers about the criminal justice system and criminal trials. It also keeps up-to-date media coverage of high profile criminal trials.

"With the increase in media coverage of high-profile criminal cases, we wanted to provide the public with more information about the criminal justice system and criminal trials than the media can provide,'' explained Santa Clara County Bar Association President Lisa Herrick.

"We see the site as a wonderful compliment to the media coverage of criminal cases and, we hope, a useful tool to help the public gain better understanding of the criminal justice system.''

The site will be updated each day with information added as it becomes available. It also includes a link to the bar association's Legal Consumer Self-Help Center as well as other online self-help centers for the public.

The media, the public and other Web site owners are encouraged by the bar to use the site's address in their information and include links on their Web sites.

"We just think that the more informed the public is about our justice system, the more the public will understand and appreciate the decisions of judges and juries as well as the role of lawyers in the system,'' added association Executive Director Christine Burdick.

The Santa Clara County Bar Association was founded in 1917 and is now made up of about 3,800 member attorneys.

-- Bay City News

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