JustCite User Commentaries

The JustCite Community is an exciting new addition to JustCite: allowing users of JustCite to add information and commentary to any case. In order to write a commentary, you must have a personal user and set up a JustCite Profile. The Community currently has two main areas: Summary and Commentary.

Summary

This area is reserved for factual information regarding a case, and acts like a headnote. It is split into discreet areas of information, allows users to annotate unreported cases and expand upon currently provided editorial information.

  • Keywords allows you define the legal areas covered
  • Issues holds the areas of contention that the case considered
  • Held is space for what decisions were made by the Court
  • Facts allows the user to explain the background of the case and surrounding argument.

Commentary

Commentaries are designed to hold opinions rather than facts and allow users to analyse the law in a similar manner to a journal article or legal blog. Unlike the Summary, the commentary allows the user to decide upon the topics for discussion and consideration.

Any contribution to the JustCite Community will instantly be listed on two JustCite pages: the relevant document that was being commented upon and also the profile page of the author. Commentary pages are free to view by default- meaning that anyone in the world will be able to view the contributions of the author instantly.

There are three visibility modes:

Public: The default position, this will make the commentary public to any internet user. This means that like a legal blog on any site, users can read, rate and comment upon your contribution.

Private: This restricts the viewing of this commentary to you alone. This means you can use JustCite as a repository of notes and information when building a case. Any time you log in with your user, you will be able to see the notes you have made.

Organisation: This will show the name of your JustCite account. Anyone who logs on within your organisation will be able to see the information you have listed. Anyone from outside the organisation will see nothing. This is a great way to share knowledge within your team, meaning your case notes are accessible to those who need to see them.

Justis Publishing takes no responsibility for the information uploaded nor for the accessibility from possible outside users. Please do not put any information which may be regarded as confidential or privileged on JustCite.

There is no limit to the amount of commentaries you can make – meaning you will be able to contribute to legal knowledge swiftly and easily.

For more assistance, why not check out the community guide?


Can I link to other cases/statutes/websites in my commentary?
Answer:

Commentary

You can create hyperlinks within a commentary by using the link editor. Simply select the text you wish to become a link and select the Insert Link button. Then enter the internet address of the second case or outside website you wish to link to. JustCite pages are static which means if you link to a specific case, that link will always link to that document.

Summary

The summary text editor is different to that for the commentary, and linking is slightly different. To link to a website, you should type [your text here](www.justis.com) to create a link that looks like this: your text here

For more information, check out the Community Guide.

If you link to outside content, please remember the Terms and Conditions of using this part of the JustCite service.

Do I have to write the contributions in the text editor?
Answer:

You may prefer to write the text in a word processor: to take advantage of the spell checking and saving facilities. Once you have written you text in any form, simply copy and paste it into the JustCite text editor to upload it.

Bear in mind, some word processors add meta-data to text, so double check the finished result before you submit it. Of course, if anything looks wrong you can always edit it.

How do I link to my commentaries from other sites?
Answer:

If you wish to link to other sites, you can create direct links to your profile and contributions. The internet address (url) of every JustCite page is individual: which means you can copy the address from your browser and place it anywhere you wish.

As an example: http://www.justcite.com/Document/GetProfile?name=hon.havers.qc will always link to this particular profile.

I made a mistake!
Answer:

Don’t worry, you can always edit your contributions. Simply find the commentary or summary and you will see the Edit button, which allows you to amend your contribution.

Is there anything I cannot post?
Answer:

There are limits to what can be posted on JustCite as a commentary:

- The Terms and Conditions of JustCite prohibit you from posting illegal, abusive or inflammatory.

- The Bar Standards Board Code of Conduct has specific rules on barristers commenting upon cases in which they have been involved with. We would like to specifically remind all barristers of their ethical obligations under the code.

- The Solicitors Regulation Authority Code of Conduct has specific rules regarding solicitors and confidentiality. We would like to remind all solicitors of their ethical obligations under the code.

- JustCite is a serious legal resource, and these commentaries are intended to act as a supplement rather than a distraction. Therefore, we ask that all contributions be relevant to the case they are assigned to.

posting rude, inflamm
What kind of thing should I post?
Answer:

Summary sections are split to ensure that the information is useful and in the right place.

Keywords: The first two selections are pre-defined. If you are unsure which to pick, select the most relevant. If you feel none apply, email helpdesk@justis.com with your suggestions. When typing your own keywords, keep them concise and legally relevant. Think words and phrases rather than sentences.

Issues: Highlight the key legal arguments which the case turned on. It might well help others understand the legal reasoning.

Held: What was the outcome and why? A useful place for the ratio of the case.

Facts: JustCite primarilycarries legal keywords, but sometimes a brief summary of the facts would be useful to determine how useful a case can be.

Commentary

This is an area for you to be as creative as you wish. If a case could have some important ramifications on an area of law, explain what effect a case may have on the current legal understanding. if you feel the decision has failed to consider a previous precedent, you may want to highlight this fact.

As in any journal article, you have the freedom to choose your own topic. For example, you may wish to focus on something that would help a user work with the case, or indicate alternative cases that might be worth reading.

Remember – if you wish to include paragraph numbers for specific parts of the judgment, specifiy which Judgment you used.

Who can see my commentary?
Answer:

It depends on which privacy option you select:

Public: Anyone with an internet connection can see your contributions to the site, because your comments are freely accessible.

Organisation: Only people from your organisation will be able to see the commentary. This means you can share knowledge and information with colleagues.

Private: Only you will be able to see your notes.

Why can’t I edit my profile?
Answer:
Every JustCite profile will contain the follwing information:
  • Your name
  • Your organisation
  • The profession you selected when creating the profile.
Advanced profiles will also contain information brought in from LinkedIn. However, the profile does not permit any further editing.
Will you edit my posts?
Answer:

Justis Publishing takes no responsibility for the editing or monitoring of user contributions – so we ask you to be sensible with your posting. We do however have the right to remove or edit contributions under the terms of the licence agreement.

Users retain the power to edit their commentary, so it is possible for you to rectify errors at a later date.


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