TY - JOUR
T1 - Management of legal information in an international context
T2 - A conundrum of challenges and opportunities
AU - Howland, Joan
AU - Wang, Chang
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - Evolving technologies have created many exciting opportunities to increase the availability of legal information, and to facilitate the organization and publication of this information. With the globalization of almost all legal issues, increased access to primary and secondary resources in electronic format across jurisdictional lines has been a welcomed development by academics, lawyers, international business entities, and others. However, the myriad of legal systems and approaches to maintaining legislative and judicial records has led to a host of challenges in regard to coherent and efficient management of legal information. Focusing on development of legal information systems in China and the United States, this paper will open with a summary of the exciting current and emerging technological advances in legal research methodologies and in the electronic publication of cases, statutes, regulations and other critical resources. The paper will then analyze corresponding challenges, including authenticity, accuracy, currency and consistency. The analysis will include discussion of the varying quality of legal information resources proliferating in the Internet, as well as the host of issues surrounding electronic publishing of legal information by government entities and commercial enterprises. The paper will conclude with a prospective analysis of the manner in which emerging technologies can enhance knowledge management of legal information and strengthen legalsystems in both common law and civil law jurisdictions.
AB - Evolving technologies have created many exciting opportunities to increase the availability of legal information, and to facilitate the organization and publication of this information. With the globalization of almost all legal issues, increased access to primary and secondary resources in electronic format across jurisdictional lines has been a welcomed development by academics, lawyers, international business entities, and others. However, the myriad of legal systems and approaches to maintaining legislative and judicial records has led to a host of challenges in regard to coherent and efficient management of legal information. Focusing on development of legal information systems in China and the United States, this paper will open with a summary of the exciting current and emerging technological advances in legal research methodologies and in the electronic publication of cases, statutes, regulations and other critical resources. The paper will then analyze corresponding challenges, including authenticity, accuracy, currency and consistency. The analysis will include discussion of the varying quality of legal information resources proliferating in the Internet, as well as the host of issues surrounding electronic publishing of legal information by government entities and commercial enterprises. The paper will conclude with a prospective analysis of the manner in which emerging technologies can enhance knowledge management of legal information and strengthen legalsystems in both common law and civil law jurisdictions.
KW - Legal information
KW - Legal information system
KW - Legal publishing
KW - Legal research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79957527229&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79957527229&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11463-011-0123-7
DO - 10.1007/s11463-011-0123-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79957527229
SN - 1673-3428
VL - 6
SP - 165
EP - 179
JO - Frontiers of Law in China
JF - Frontiers of Law in China
IS - 2
ER -