Computers and Legal Research

Abstract:     
Information Technology (IT) is a phenomenon which has some sort of direct or remote contact with everyone in today’s world and law is no exception to it. A radical change is being experienced due to the influx of computers in every field. As law is a field where a lot of work is based on research, therefore, the use of computers (to which I give the name Organic Machine) in legal research can enhance the efficiency of legal personae to a great extent, had the proper and efficient means and ways employed. The use of Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR) is the common feature of law practice in US and UK. The concept of Information Super Highway (ISH) provides us with the idea that any sort of information available through the internet (a central network of networks) can be accessed at an unimaginable speed and at anywhere in the world where this ISH goes. And ISH has no country or regional bounds. It knows no constitutions, no jurisdictions as we understood these concepts in our conventional system of laws.

In Pakistan, we have a very limited use of IT in the special context of law. While in other fields like business, accounting, medicine, etc., it has gained a momentous boost. There are two aspects of any field. One is the educational aspect; the other one is practical. For educational aspect, we have to see whether the institutions which provide education for any field are fully equipped with the new technologies. And for practical aspects, we have to see if the professionals of any targeted field are using such new technologies. Here our concern is the educational aspect of the field of law with respect to uses of IT in law schools.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 7

Keywords: CALR, Punjab University Law College, IT, Computers and Legal Research, Lahore High Court

JEL Classification: K40, I20, I29, O30, O31, O32, O33

Accepted Paper Series