Automation in the legal world

Dr. Lucien Mehl, born 1919 in Paris, studied at the University, Paris where he obtained his degrees in Philosophy and Law, and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Political Economy and at the National School of Administration. He is now'Maitre des Requetesi to the Council of State and Director of external training at the National School of Administration. He is a member of the International Fiscal Association, the International Cybernetics Association and the French Operational Research Society. He has published a number of articles on administrative science, law, cybernetics and operational research. LUCIEN HEEL INTRODUCTION I. It may seem an ambitious step to try to apply mechanization or automation to the legal sciences. However, a machine for processing information can be an effective aid in searching for sources of legal information, in developing legal argument, in preparing the decision of the administrator or judge, and finally in checking the coherence of solutions arrived at. In the first place, much preliminary work is needed for introducing automation in legal affairs, and so much work can only be decided upon if it is found to be of definite use. Secondly, such an undertaking is not without its risks; the jurist may lose direct contact with the sources of law and no longer have the benefit of the intellectual activity involved in searching for information. Lastly, as a result of mechanization of this kind, thought may itself become inflexible, diminishing creative power and innovative effort. Nowadays, however, machine processing of information is becoming essential; "Homo sapiens" is in fact exposed to the risk of being overwhelmed by the vast accumulation of knowledge. It is becoming increasingly difficult to gain access to the sources of ideas, and the researcher wastes valuable time and often intensive mental effort in detailed and unprofitable research, never being sure whether his investigations will be fruitful, or whether he will not bypass the essential information. Moreover, it happens that writers doing research in the same field of knowledge are unaware of one another's work; and besides this, the difficulty of finding the information required makes the researchers specialize still more. They find it hard to link up the different disciplines, because they are generally doomed to remain in ignorance of everything outside their on customary field of investigation. In legal matters, the number of laws and regulations and the scope of jurisprudence are growing on an alarming scale, and everyone is complaining about the situation - administrators and judges, as well as those dealt with under the law.