From today there is free browse access to all Lawfinder, the Lawfinder RSS feeds and the related Lawlinker utility.

As the web matures, both user expectations of value and our ability economically to deliver that value increase. There are thousands of occasional users of Lawfinder – both lawyers and lay persons – who will benefit greatly from permanent full and free access, while enabling us to generate modest income from their visits through affiliate advertising.

Serious law researchers can derive substantial value from a subscription, with the ability to search across all 100,000-plus Lawfinder records, syndicate our RSS feeds of latest updates and dynamically link from web pages to trusted and related sources with Lawlinker.

These and other information management tools are what sets Lawfinder apart. Most law publishers still republish what are now free access legal materials when the whole premise of the web is that that should become redundant. Our aim, with Lawfinder, is to make these materials more accessible and to add value through innovative use of the developing technologies.

[Edited May 2007 to reflect the status quo.]