[JURIST] JURIST [academic website], the non-commercial legal news and research service powered by law students led by Professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law [academic website], is in a dead heat with US legal television network Court TV [corporate website] in the final hours of public polling for the annual Webby Awards "People's Voice" award for best Law website of 2006. With the poll set to close Friday at midnight Pacific Time (Saturday 3 AM ET), the last available figures provided by the Webby Awards late Wednesday afternoon put both JURIST and Court TV at 30%, followed by FindLaw [corporate website], owned by legal publishing giant Thomson Corporation, at 24 percent. New York Times-NPR collaboration Justice Learning and legal self-help site Nolo were further behind.

JURIST has been riding a wave of support from law students and law professors across the United States, joined by leading lawyers and members of the general public worldwide. Voting has been going on since the 2006 Webby nominations were announced [JURIST report] in New York on April 11. Last year over 200,000 People's Voice votes were cast.

Called the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times and presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences [profession website], the "Webbies" are the leading international awards honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. The Webby People's Voice awards run in parallel with a judges' competition; the results of both will be announced in New York on May 9.

If you're reading this before Friday midnight PST (Saturday 3 AM ET), you still have time to vote and show your support for JURIST and serious documented legal news coverage with a global perspective. Just click here for the People's Voice website, then register and vote in the Law category. And please encourage your friends and colleagues to vote!