ABSTRACT
Access to justice (ATJ) is a fundamental right of each individual. Access to justice typically means having a case heard in a court of law. However, more broadly, it can be achieved through mechanisms such as legal aid, human rights institutions etc. It also includes access to legal information. Legal clinics are part of the legal support system, and thus the implementation of ATJ.
People who need legal aid very often look for answers on their own on the Internet. It is clear that the Internet gives almost unlimited possibilities for searching for information. However, most information posted on the Internet is not verified. As a consequence, when people are looking for a legal answer, they can find it, but in many cases, the answer is not referring to the situation of the individual. Taking the above into account, it is necessary to examine the question of whether in the digital era implementation of the right to obtain legal aid is easier and whether the possibility of using digital communication allows effective implementation of this right?
On the one hand, there is no doubt that currently, electronic devices have replaced notebooks and textbooks. Students, via the Internet, have access to a wide range of information, including legal knowledge, and use this opportunity. On the other hand, such broad access to information can facilitate learning; but it can be a threat. Students have used the information available online, despite having access to professional tools, i.e., digital databases such as Westlaw, Lex. However, they did not always reach sources that are reliable (they have verified information).
Moreover, even using trusted sources (eg, public administration websites), they repeatedly obtained information that was already out of date. These experiences prompted us to consider whether the Internet as a source of knowledge is used only by students, or is this a common phenomenon related to lawyers' practice? We also consider, what are the reasons that students do not verify information found on the web or cannot verify such information?
We tried to find the answer to these questions during our research. The aim was to analyse the issue of ensuring the implementation of the access guarantee to legal aid in the realities of easy access to information in digital form (including legal ones). Our chapter contains the results of the research.
Research is important not only to determine the impact on the access to justice itself but also to the legal education. Law schools should take into account the fact that the development of technology also refers to the forms of providing legal services in the future. Consequently, they should also prepare students for their future work, equipping them not only with appropriate tools but also the right skills. In our paper, we would like to present some of the results of this research in relation to legal education. Future legal adepts belong to the professional group that will be involved in ensuring the implementation of this principle.
