Lawyers in Massachusetts have been able to access Loislaw from their home or office computers through an arrangement with the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries. But as the libraries’ blog announced this week, that remote access is ending as of July 1. (Apparently, lawyers will still be able to access Loislaw from a terminal located within a court library.) The explanation given is that Loislaw has been acquired by Wolters Kluwer “and the new owner has declined to renew the remote access contract.”

The explanation is strange given that Wolters Kluwer acquired Loislaw in 2000 — hardly a “new” owner.

In any event, the news has caused a stir among a number of Massachusetts lawyers. On a discussion list for Massachusetts lawyers, several participants have been encouraging some sort of collective effort to maintain the service. How it all plays out remains to be seen.

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Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.