The 'I' in Legal Information Retrieval

Abstract

The term legal information retrieval is a rather commonly used expression. While the extent of legal and the efficiency of retrieval might be discussed, the voices on the reach of information are not very loud. The legal community, as a group rather conservative, seems to rely on the truth, persistence and resistance of the doctrine of legal sources despite the fact that these principles do not have a commonly accepted substance and every lawyer might have their own interpretation of the implementation of these guiding principles. The doctrine of legal sources is nevertheless the leading star for legal method and has not lost its power despite this possible inconsistency in its practical operation.

The doctrine is, however, only the first step when answering the question what is information from a legal perspective. In trying to find possible paths of solution or discussion, the articles tries to pinpoint three aspects of the concept of information.

Keywords: legal information retrieval, legal information, doctrine of legal sources, legal methods, concept of information