Legal Engineering A Design Perspective on the Law

Prof. dr. Tom M. van Engers

t.m.van.engers@acm.org

Who am I….

In labour organizations, people solve problems, take decisions, learn, develop plans, have opinions etc.

In all those processes knowledge is required.

Knowledge Management aims at optimizing knowledge productivity.

Topics

•Normative systems•The POWER-approach•POWER support

•Support for policy making •Support for operations

•POWER and eGovernment

Characteristics of the judicial

Based upon a

democratic process

Aims at regulating

society

Results in regulations,

legislation etc.

Legislation is the

outcome of a group-

dynamic process

Contain norms that tell

us what is obligated,

prohibited or

permitted

Norms reflect underlying

preferences

Characteristics of the judicial

Legal engineering

Legal sources (e.g. the law)

can be seen as a

specifications of a

normative systems …

but they are under-

specified

and suffer from anomalies:

inconsistencies,

circularities, open

evaluative terms and

vagueness.

Legal engineering and democracy

Transparency is a key element

in democracy.

Publishing the law and court

decisions is not enough.

Citizens and parliamentarians

require insight in the

juridical interpretations and

the governments’ policy.

Formalize

Legal engineering

Design perspective on the judicial

Design; many stakeholders and processes

• Legislation drafters

• Politicians

• Designers and

implementers

• Civil servants

• Citizens and businesses

• Judges and lawyers

• …

Aims of public administrations

• Reduction of time-to-market

• Improvement of legal quality

• Improvement of law

enforcement

• Administrative costs

• Accountability

• Client friendliness and

operational efficiency

• Chain control

POWER

Develop a method for the

translation from rules and

regulations into formal

descriptions that a computer

can reason with

Aims of the POWER-approach

The logic that implicitly lies beneath the regulations becomes

explicit

Texts containing the regulations

Analysis en modeling

Description in formal logic

Power-applications

Formal logical model

Concrete example

The operational results

The formal logical model is the basis for different products:

Formal logical model

• Educational material

• Forms

• Operational guidelines

• Automated (knowledge-

based) systems

Organizational Positioning POWER

Step 5:Incorporatingin automated

systems

Legislation

Applications

Step 5:DSS

Step 5:Incorporatingin guidelines

Step 5:Etc...

Law enforcement

POWER-Method

Step 1:Generating

formaldescriptions

Proposedlegislation

Step 3:Simulations

Step 2:Anomalychecking

Effects(micro/meso/and macro)

Suggestions

Step 4:Suggestions

for adaptation

Formal descriptions

Anomalies

Policy process

Implemen-tation

ProblemGeneratingalternative

drafts

Evaluatingalternative

draftsChoice

Policy domain

Step 5:Incorporatingin guidelines

Governmental interests

Checking the regulations

– Feasibility study

– Legal quality test

• Effects of regulations

– Checking against the goals (simulation)

– Administrative costs

• Operational support

– Decision support

– Client orientated services

– Reduction of TTM & TCO

Design chain

Drafting Formalize Implement Use

POWER-methodBevoegdheid

Minister

+bevoegdheden

SchoolBenaming()Stelsel()ToegekendeToelagenInJaar()

ToelageDatumToekenning()Bedrag()Motivatie()

+ToegekendeToelagen

{ ToegekendeToelagenInJaar(jaartal) := ToegekendeToelagen.select(:x|x.DatumToekenning.year = jaartal) }

Bevoegdheid

Minister

+bevoegdheden

SchoolBenaming()Stelsel()ToegekendeToelagenInJaar()

ToelageDatumToekenning()Bedrag()Motivatie()

+ToegekendeToelagen

{ ToegekendeToelagenInJaar(jaartal) := ToegekendeToelagen.select(:x|x.DatumToekenning.year = jaartal) }

Bevoegdheid

Minister

+bevoegdheden

SchoolBenaming()Stelsel()ToegekendeToelagenInJaar()

ToelageDatumToekenning()Bedrag()Motivatie()

+ToegekendeToelagen

{ ToegekendeToelagenInJaar(jaartal) := ToegekendeToelagen.select(:x|x.DatumToekenning.year = jaartal) }

Bevoegdheid

Minister

+bevoegdheden

SchoolBenaming()Stelsel()ToegekendeToelagenInJaar()

ToelageDatumToekenning()Bedrag()Motivatie()

+ToegekendeToelagen

{ ToegekendeToelagenInJaar(jaartal) := ToegekendeToelagen.select(:x|x.DatumToekenning.year = jaartal) }

Structureanalysis

Languageanalysis

IntegrateSelect Generate

FORCE+ Valens

IntegrationWizard + MEGA

TranslatorText styler+ MetaLex

Workbench

Abstract overview of the method

Normative Systems

Impact Analysis

System Generation

Process Representation

Normative knowledge sources and policy

Declarative Model Process model

Knowledge Representation

Knowledge based component

Back office

Front office

Regulations/Business rules

Processes andSystems

Services

Social environment

Back office

Front office

Regulations/Business rules

Processes andSystems

Services

Social environment

Back office

Front office

Regulations/Business rules

ProcessesandSystems

Services

Social environment

Client ClientClient

Level I

Level II

Level III

E-Government

Legal sources

Legal models

components services portal

presentatie

data exchange

presentatie

data exchange

A Generic E-gov architecture

A generic E-gov Architecture

Legal sources

Legal models

components services portal

presentatie

data exchange

presentatie

data exchange

A Generic E-gov architecture

Summary of the POWER benefits

• Transparent translation of

legal sources

• Unambiguous interpretation

• Consistency checking

• Better use of knowledge

• Chain approach: connecting

different design processes

• Diminishing legal reparation

• Communication

End of presentation…