Calgary, AB --- December 3, 2001 --- The SMARTer Kids Foundation announces a new round of the Law TECH Grant, a US$255,000 competitive Grant program to help law schools acquire qualifying SMART products. Having SMART Boards in law schools means graduates will have the skills and knowledge required to use technology effectively in the courtroom and the boardroom. The Law TECH Grant is open to all qualifying public or private, accredited, not-for-profit law schools in the United States and Canada. Since this grant was introduced in 1999, US$550,000 has been available to law schools for the purchase of SMART products.

The Law TECH Grant covers 50 percent of the suggested list price of a SMART Board 560 or 580 and Floor Stand 570, or 40 percent of the suggested list price of a Rear Projection SMART Board 1602, 1802 or 3000i. Using the SMART Board, a touch-sensitive interactive whiteboard, users can access and control any computer application at the touch of a finger, or pick up a stylus and annotate over top of the applications in electronic ink. With this powerful presentation tool, they can save and print notes, collaborate on electronic documents, present and share evidence and run multimedia materials – all from the SMART Board. Notes and annotated images can be printed, e-mailed, posted to a network or saved as HTML so that others can view them from a Web browser.

"As courts and law schools adopt technology to assist them in their fundamental missions, high-quality display devices are becoming increasingly important," says Fredric I. Lederer, chancellor professor of law and director, Courtroom 21, William & Mary School of Law. "SMART Boards provide an especially useful multi-function solution in this area."

"Presentation and collaborative technology is becoming more prevalent in courtrooms and law firms. With the Law TECH Grant, law schools can purchase this leading-edge technology at an affordable price," says Nancy Knowlton, executive director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. "And with SMART products in law schools, the next generation of lawyers will have the skills necessary to produce compelling high-tech cases."

Applying for a SMARTer Kids Foundation Law TECH Grant
The Law TECH Grant is available to all qualifying public or private, accredited, not-for-profit law schools in the United States and Canada. Projects that include locations outside these areas will require special approval from the Foundation. Prior recipients of the Law TECH Grant in any previous year are not eligible to apply.

There are 50 Law TECH Grants available for North America; 25 for SMART Boards (560 or 580 and optional Floor Stand 570) and 25 for Rear Projection SMART Boards (1602, 1802 or 3000i).
Applications are available online and must be submitted prior to midnight, May 31, 2002.

Applications will be processed and Law TECH Grants awarded as received. It is possible that all funds may be awarded prior to the deadline. The Foundation will use its reasonable best efforts to notify all applicants of their status within 15 working days of receiving a completed Law TECH Grant application. Grants must be utilized by September 30, 2002.

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For more information, contact:
Public Relations
SMARTer Kids Foundation
403.228.8559
pr@smarterkids.org