Recently a small group wrestled with the idea of how to divide the categories of the tools and the various disciplines within legal technology. The challenge arose from a consensus that there is a need to facilitate understanding and encourage innovation by developing a taxonomy of legal technology in the access to justice field.
Considering that the goal of the taxonomy building exercise was to aid understanding, and to encourage innovation, the group decided to develop a working tool that did not have more than 10 divisions. Another consideration was to ensure that the approach would dovetail seamlessly with other existing approaches employed elsewhere.
Therefore, the group decided to begin with the categories used in the CodeX Stanford Tech Index. Consequently, it was decided to explore how categorization such as marketplace, document automation; practice management; legal research; legal education; online dispute resolution; online user guidance on information and referral triage can be expanded to cover various user-oriented developments.
This list will undoubtedly need revision but it might serve as a first response to the need for developing a taxonomy for the field of access to justice. Furthermore, this categorization is open to any amendment and suggestion anyone might want to make.
The group also analyzed using the headings of the ABA’s Buyers Guide Directory but decided to use them as an appendix because, although helpful as a wider list, it is probably too long for general use. Furthermore, at times, the headings in the Directory created some ambiguity between technology and its particular application. A number of other approaches were also explored including leads to various legal tech maps around the world, but they were not leveraged because the maps were focused on specific products.
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