Interactive Law?

My post today is a question.

I recently heard an interview in which a major newspaper editor said the traditional model of “active” journalist and “passive” reader, is dead. He gave the following illustration. On the opening night of a new opera production the most experienced and highly regarded opera critic in the world can write a review for the next day’s paper. It will be brilliant as usual, but it is “nonsensical” to think the other 700 people in the audience have nothing of value to add.

He likened this change in perspective to flipping a switch in our thinking. Do not think of the newspaper as being “on the web”, but “of the web”.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made the decision to post all of their course materials on line. It is now accessible free of charge both to students and professors at other teaching institutions.

Through Galaxy Zoo “citizen scientists” take part in helping professional astronomers assemble valuable data for research and exploration.

Scientific data that gives a “leg up” to pharamaceutical companies working to develop cures, is now being posted on line by public-private partnerships that support the discovery of new medicines through open access research. The result is that cures are being developed years sooner than under the traditional model in which such data is proprietary and patented.

Does this open access, interactive model have any potential application to the provision of legal services in the civil justice system?