Date of Award
6-8-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2016.
Department
Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Ben Steichen
Abstract
The legal research industry is currently dominated by two main corporations: WestLaw and LexisNexis. These companies hold a monopoly on the majority of pertinent case law and as a result law firms and law schools are forced to use these systems. However, these systems are incredibly expensive and use antiquated forms of informational retrieval that have suppressed innovation in the field of legal research. Lucem is a web-based legal research tool that attempts to provide an innovative solution that is easily accessible and intuitive for those wishing to obtain legal information. In creating this product we have leveraged our technical training in order to bring new algorithms and methods of information retrieval to legal research. In developing this tool, we have attempted to create a system that mirrors the way lawyers approach legal research. In order to do this, we developed visualizations that provide lawyers with an additional research path that serves as a respite to overly textual results. Lucem is an attempt to show what is possible in an industry that desperately needs rejuvenation.
Recommended Citation
Bhullar, Jagjoth; Lam, Nathan; Pham, Kenneth; Prabhakaran, Adithya; and Santillano, Albert Joseph, "Lucem: A Legal Research Tool" (2016). Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses. 63.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cseng_senior/63