Legal informatics
Study of information technology applied to legal contexts.
RoyHalzenski · Public domain
Legal informatics is an area within information science. The American Library Association defines informatics as 'the study of the structure and properties of information, as well as the application of technology to the organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information.' Legal informatics therefore pertains to the application of informatics within the context of the legal environment and as such involves law-related organizations (e.g., law offices, courts, and law schools) and users of information and information technologies within these organizations.
- field
- Information science
- known_for
- Application of informatics to legal environments, including AI and law, cloud computing, and policy issues
- related_organizations
- Law offices, courts, law schools
- policy_concerns
- Use of subpoenas for emails, search queries, social networks; data destruction or anonymization in Europe
Lore & Background
Policy issues in legal informatics arise from the use of informational technologies in the implementation of law, such as the use of subpoenas for information found in emails, search queries, and social networks. Policy approaches to legal informatics issues vary throughout the world; for example, European countries tend to require the destruction or anonymization of data so that it cannot be used for discovery. Technology in legal informatics includes cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The widespread introduction of cloud computing provides several benefits in delivering legal services, including the Software as a Service model, which is scalable and can complement traditional bespoke services. Artificial intelligence is employed in online dispute resolution platforms that use optimization algorithms and blind-bidding, and in modeling the legal ontology. Artificial intelligence and law is a subfield of AI mainly concerned with applications of AI to legal informatics problems and original research on those problems. History of the field includes early work such as Thorne McCarty's TAXMAN project and Ronald Stamper's LEGOL project. Landmarks include Carole Hafner's work on conceptual retrieval, Anne Gardner's work on contract law, and Edwina Rissland's work on legal hypotheticals. The interoperable legal documents standard Akoma Ntoso allows machine-driven processes to operate on digital parliamentary, judicial, and legislative documents.
Reader's Guide
Legal informatics represents a significant intersection of information science and law, shaping how legal services are delivered and how legal reasoning is modeled. Its importance lies in addressing policy issues arising from technology use in law, such as data privacy and attorney-client privilege in cloud computing. The field has fostered the development of AI applications for legal reasoning, document analysis, and dispute resolution, contributing to both legal practice and artificial intelligence research. Its legacy includes formal models of legal reasoning, executable models of legislation, and automated legal text classification. The establishment of conferences like ICAIL and JURIX, and journals like Artificial Intelligence and Law, have created a sustained scholarly community. The adoption of standards like Akoma Ntoso and pilot programs such as the AI-based Internet Court in Hangzhou demonstrate ongoing practical impact. Legal informatics continues to evolve, addressing challenges of scalability, privilege, and cross-jurisdictional policy differences.
Did You Know?
- The American Library Association defines informatics as 'the study of the structure and properties of information, as well as the application of technology to the organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of in
- European countries tend to require the destruction or anonymization of data so that it cannot be used for discovery.
- The Software as a Service model in legal informatics complicates the attorney-client relationship in a way that may have implications for attorney–client privilege.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Legal informatics?
Legal informatics is a sub-discipline within information science that focuses on how information technology is structured, stored, retrieved, and shared within legal settings. It bridges the gap between information systems and the day-to-day workings of the legal world.
What areas is Legal informatics known for?
The field is particularly recognized for exploring AI in law, cloud computing applications, and broader policy issues surrounding legal information. It sits at the intersection of emerging technology and legal practice.
Which organizations does Legal informatics relate to?
Legal informatics encompasses information practices in law offices, courts, and law schools. It also covers the people who use information technologies within those legal institutions.
What policy concerns does Legal informatics address?
Key policy debates in the field include the use of subpoenas to obtain emails, search queries, and social media data, as well as European practices around data destruction and anonymization. These issues sit at the crossroads of privacy, technology, and legal procedure.
What parent field does Legal informatics belong to?
Legal informatics is a branch of information science, specifically applying informatics concepts to the legal environment. The American Library Association frames informatics as the study of information's structure and properties plus the technological tools used to manage it.
More in Legal Professions 1-24
Elsewhere in the Legal Professions universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record