SHYSTER: A Pragmatic Legal Expert System

SHYSTER: A Pragmatic Legal Expert System PDF Author: James Popple
Publisher: Australian National Univ.
ISBN: 0731518276
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
Most legal expert systems attempt to implement complex models of legal reasoning. But the utility of a legal expert system lies not in the extent to which it simulates a lawyer’s approach to a legal problem, but in the quality of its predictions and of its arguments. A complex model of legal reasoning is not necessary: a successful legal expert system can be based upon a simplified model of legal reasoning. Some researchers have based their systems upon a jurisprudential approach to the law, yet lawyers are patently able to operate without any jurisprudential insight. A useful legal expert system should be capable of producing advice similar to that which one might get from a lawyer, so it should operate at the same pragmatic level of abstraction as does a lawyer—not at the more philosophical level of jurisprudence. A legal expert system called SHYSTER has been developed to demonstrate that a useful legal expert system can be based upon a pragmatic approach to the law. SHYSTER has a simple representation structure which simplifies the problem of knowledge acquisition. Yet this structure is complex enough for SHYSTER to produce useful advice. SHYSTER is a case-based legal expert system (although it has been designed so that it can be linked with a rule-based system to form a hybrid legal expert system). Its advice is based upon an examination of, and an argument about, the similarities and differences between cases. SHYSTER attempts to model the way in which lawyers argue with cases, but it does not attempt to model the way in which lawyers decide which cases to use in those arguments. Instead, it employs statistical techniques to quantify the similarity between cases. It decides which cases to use in argument, and what prediction it will make, on the basis of that similarity measure. SHYSTER is of a general design: it can provide advice in areas of case law that have been specified by a legal expert using a specification language. Hence, it can operate in different legal domains. Four different, and disparate, areas of law have been specified for SHYSTER, and its operation has been tested in each of those domains. Testing of SHYSTER in these four domains indicates that it is exceptionally good at predicting results, and fairly good at choosing cases with which to construct its arguments. SHYSTER demonstrates the viability of a pragmatic approach to legal expert system design.

SHYSTER: A Pragmatic Legal Expert System

SHYSTER: A Pragmatic Legal Expert System PDF Author: James Popple
Publisher: Australian National Univ.
ISBN: 0731518276
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 454

Get Book Here

Book Description
Most legal expert systems attempt to implement complex models of legal reasoning. But the utility of a legal expert system lies not in the extent to which it simulates a lawyer’s approach to a legal problem, but in the quality of its predictions and of its arguments. A complex model of legal reasoning is not necessary: a successful legal expert system can be based upon a simplified model of legal reasoning. Some researchers have based their systems upon a jurisprudential approach to the law, yet lawyers are patently able to operate without any jurisprudential insight. A useful legal expert system should be capable of producing advice similar to that which one might get from a lawyer, so it should operate at the same pragmatic level of abstraction as does a lawyer—not at the more philosophical level of jurisprudence. A legal expert system called SHYSTER has been developed to demonstrate that a useful legal expert system can be based upon a pragmatic approach to the law. SHYSTER has a simple representation structure which simplifies the problem of knowledge acquisition. Yet this structure is complex enough for SHYSTER to produce useful advice. SHYSTER is a case-based legal expert system (although it has been designed so that it can be linked with a rule-based system to form a hybrid legal expert system). Its advice is based upon an examination of, and an argument about, the similarities and differences between cases. SHYSTER attempts to model the way in which lawyers argue with cases, but it does not attempt to model the way in which lawyers decide which cases to use in those arguments. Instead, it employs statistical techniques to quantify the similarity between cases. It decides which cases to use in argument, and what prediction it will make, on the basis of that similarity measure. SHYSTER is of a general design: it can provide advice in areas of case law that have been specified by a legal expert using a specification language. Hence, it can operate in different legal domains. Four different, and disparate, areas of law have been specified for SHYSTER, and its operation has been tested in each of those domains. Testing of SHYSTER in these four domains indicates that it is exceptionally good at predicting results, and fairly good at choosing cases with which to construct its arguments. SHYSTER demonstrates the viability of a pragmatic approach to legal expert system design.

A Hybrid Intelligent System Approach to Legal Reasoning

A Hybrid Intelligent System Approach to Legal Reasoning PDF Author: Pooja Raundale
Publisher: Mha Publisher
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Many legal expert systems are dependent on the concept of complex models. They are implemented using these complex models of legal reasoning. The legal expert systems are useful only if they are used by the users. The users of the expert systems are mainly common men, lawyers or any other person who is studying law. The usability of the Expert System predominantly depends on the quality factor of the system. A complex model of legal reasoning is not necessary; a successful legal expert system can be based upon a simplified model of legal reasoning. A useful legal expert system should be capable of producing advice similar to a lawyer, so it should operate at the same way as a lawyer works in his area. A legal expert system called NIRNAY has been developed to demonstrate that a useful legal expert system can be based upon a pragmatic approach to the law. NIRNAY is a Hybrid Intelligent System which uses two methods of reasoning to give the advice to the user of the system. NIRNAY has an Application layer above the two modules. These modules are Case Based Reasoner module and Rule Based Reasoner module. The rule base and case base are used for representation of knowledge about the domain. NIRNAY is a hybrid intelligent system in the sense that its advice is based upon the two methods of reasoning; it uses the Rule Based Reasoning and Case Based Reasoning to produce the advice. The first module i.e. RBR module checks the validity of the contract and the argument is produced by the CBR module for Breach of Building Contract, an argument, about the similarities and differences between cases. NIRNAY tries to use the way in which lawyers argue with cases. It also attempts to use the way in which lawyers decide which cases to use in the arguments. It makes use of 'similarity measure' to find the similarity between the cases. It decides which cases to use in argument, and what prediction it will make, on the basis of that similarity measure. NIRNAY is tested for both the modules and it indicates that it is exceptionally good at predicting results, and fairly good at choosing cases with which to construct its arguments. NIRNAY demonstrates the viability of a pragmatic approach to legal expert system design.

A Pragmatic Legal Expert System

A Pragmatic Legal Expert System PDF Author: James Popple
Publisher: Dartmouth (Ashgate)
ISBN: 1855217392
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Most legal expert systems attempt to implement complex models of legal reasoning. This book argues that a complex model is unnecessary. It advocates a simpler, pragmatic approach in which the utility of a legal expert system is evaluated by reference, not to the extent to which it simulates a lawyer's approach to a legal problem, but to the quality of its predictions and of its arguments. The author describes the development of a legal expert system, called SHYSTER, which takes a pragmatic approach to case law. He discusses the testing of SHYSTER in four different and disparate areas of case law, and draws conclusions about the advantages and limitations of this approach to legal expert system development. Chapter 1 presents a critical analysis of previous work of relevance to the development of legal expert systems. Chapter 2 explains the pragmatic approach that was adopted in the development of SHYSTER. The implementation of SHYSTER is detailed using examples in chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes the testing of SHYSTER, and conclusions are drawn from those tests in chapter 5. Examples of SHYSTER's output are provided in appendices.

Expert Systems in Law

Expert Systems in Law PDF Author: Richard E. Susskind
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Expert systems (Computer science)
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Expert systems are computer systems that engage in legal reasoning by assisting general legal practitioners in solving legal problems beyond their range of knowledge or expertise. This book is a comprehensive investigation of expert systems in law. Susskind uses jurisprudence throughout the book to articulate the presuppositions and limitations of building such systems, and to provide sound practical guidance for their design.

A Hybrid Legal Expert System

A Hybrid Legal Expert System PDF Author: Thomas A O'Callaghan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Legal expert systems are the nexus of Artificial Intelligence and the law. A legal expert system is "a system capable of performing at a level expected of a lawyer" [Popple 1996, page 3]. Legal expert systems may be designed for use by legally trained people or for use by the general public ("lay-people"). Legal expert systems designed for use by legally trained people aim to provide a method of speeding-up the provision, and improving the accuracy, of legal research undertaken with the aim of advising the client. Designed for use by legally trained people, these systems may assume general legal knowledge. Consequently the questions asked by the system and the reports returned may be stated at a level appropriate for legally trained people. The primary benefit of this category of legal expert system is the reduction of internal cost of legal research. The flow-on benefits for clients reductions in the cost of legal services and consequently improved access to quality representation, and reduction of the time taken to resolve a legal question. Legal expert systems designed for use by lay-people aim to provide greater access to the law. This category of legal expert system is more difficult to create because no legal knowledge by the user can be assumed. The discovery of the facts of the case becomes problematic [Susskind 2001]. More research is required in the area of fact elicitation before such systems become viable. Once they are viable, access to the law should be dramatically improved. A consequential benefit may be a reduction in litigation, as potential litigants could settle their dispute by reference to the advice of a legal expert system. However, such a system would raise an important ethical question -- the creators of such a system may be usurping the role of the courts in that the public may come to rely on the statements by the system as "what the law is". SHYSTER-MYCIN is the legal expert system created for and discussed in this thesis. SHYSTER-MYCIN combines rule-based reasoning with case-based reasoning. The system is designed as the first category of legal expert systems described above: a legal expert system to be consulted by legally trained people. This hybrid system enables the case-based reasoner to determine open-textured concepts when required by the rule-based reasoner, MYCIN. The system operates on a reduced version of the Copyright Act 1968, including cases that define the term "authorization" (see Chapter 2). The Act is reasoned by a system of rules. Whereas cases are reasoned by analogy. This approach is supported by jurisprudential discussions on legal reasoning (see Chapter 3). The system was created in three progressive versions (Chapter 5). The focus of the creation of the system was the reporting of reasons for conclusions. The second and third versions were tested against three criteria: validity, conciseness and correctness (see Chapter 6). The system performed well (see Chapter 7) against those criteria, indicating that the approach taken is appropriate: that is, it is appropriate to use rules to reason with statutes and analogy to reason with cases.

Legal Expert Systems

Legal Expert Systems PDF Author: Martina Smith
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Expert systems (Computer science)
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description


Expert Systems in Law

Expert Systems in Law PDF Author: Antonio Anselmo Martino
Publisher: North Holland
ISBN:
Category : Expert systems (Computer science)
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
Informatics is a cross-roads of disciplines, but it is also a forge for implementations that are transforming our society because they are transforming all forms of production. Law is, without a doubt, a very important social application domain of informatics. In the volume presented here, legal knowledge is considered mainly from the lawyer's point of view while taking into account the implementation of expert systems. It is a review of the best known theories of the representation of legal orders and systems in the light of the possibility of using more advanced computer tools. A solution to the problem of how to represent legal knowledge in such a way that it can be used by the inference engine of an expert system for making calculations and arriving at consequences is also proposed.

Expert Systems in Law

Expert Systems in Law PDF Author: Herbert Fiedler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Commercial law
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description


Expert Systems in Law

Expert Systems in Law PDF Author: Alan Tyree
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description


Building Intelligent Legal Information Systems

Building Intelligent Legal Information Systems PDF Author: J. Zeleznikow
Publisher: Kluwer Law International
ISBN: 9789065448330
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
Intelligent legal information systems or information retrieval systems that support the research and practical activities of today's lawyers have gained ground as legal support tools. This development will have a profound impact on the study and practice of law all over the world in the years to come. While there may exist a considerable computer-phobia among lawyers, this barrier should be overcome because `no legal professional of the 21st century can afford to be without automated legal support systems', according to the authors. One of the tasks they have set for themselves is the elimination of some of the persistent misinformation that exist about modern information retrieval techniques, while exploring this new and developing field. The book consists of 3 sections `Fundamental Concepts', 'representation and Reasoning' and `Future Tools' of which the first provides the background information essential for understanding the rest of the book. The second section specifically treats the concept of artificial intelligence, its techniques and the most important existing legal expert systems. The final section gives insight into methods of building legal expert systems, learning approaches and commercial considerations.