If you've ever had to use the services of a lawyer, more than likely you've heard the phrase "Please step into my office" or something to that nature. However, chances are you've never walked into their office using your computer's mouse or some keys on the keyboard. With the new Second Life lawyers moving into the new reality world, that could be a possibility not too far away.

From the article:

In December, Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals attended a conference sponsored by Creative Commons, the nonprofit alternative copyright foundation, to promote his new book, "Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency." Over the course of the question-and-answer session, Posner gave the assembled group his thoughts on topics ranging from the USA Patriot Act to copyright protection in a digital world.

The judge's words were punctuated by the occasional heckler throwing exploding fireballs from the sky. Posner was also distracted by a 6-foot raccoon. The giant animal claimed to be an intellectual property attorney from Washington, D.C. "I like your tail," Posner told him.

The event took place entirely within Second Life, a three-dimensional online virtual world created in 2003 by Linden Research, Inc., a small San Francisco start-up doing business as Linden Lab. The 67-year-old judge's appearance in the world via a bespectacled avatar, or digital character, highlighted Second Life's growing significance as both social forum and marketing tool. The questions asked by Posner's audience for the most part were very serious. What place does the fair use doctrine have in Second Life? How should property rights be distinguished from IP rights in a virtual world?

Read the full article over at law.com