The next generation of legal expert systems - New dawn or false dawn?

Abstract

Attempts to apply conventional rule-based expert systems to legal problem-solving raise seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The authors analyse the key challenges of developing a legal expert system by reference to a case study of issues arising in their prototype system, the JAES project. This paper explores the advantages of exploiting three alternative approaches- namely: case-based reasoning, blackboard architecture, and service-oriented architecture for the next generation of legal expert systems. The authors advocate the use of hybrid architecture to address the complexity and dynamic nature of the legal domain. The paper evaluates the extent to which these enhancements can meet the special complexities of the legal domain. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited.