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Title:

Computational Law - The Cop in the Backseat

Abstract

Computational Law is a branch of Legal Informatics concerned with the codification of rules and regulations in computable form. From a philosophical point of view, Computational Law is most closely associated with the formalist school of jurisprudence. From a practical point of view, it is the basis for the implementation and deployment of computer systems capable of doing useful legal calculations, such as compliance checking, legal planning, and so forth. Computational Law has the potential to dramatically change the legal profession, improving the quality and efficiency of legal services and possibly disrupting the way law firms do business. More broadly, the technology has the potential to bring legal understanding and legal tools to everyone in society, not just legal professionals, thus enhancing access to justice and improving the legal system as a whole.

Biography

Michael Genesereth is a professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University and a professor by courtesy in the Stanford Law School. He received his Sc.B. in Physics from M.I.T. and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University. Genesereth is most known for his work on Computational Logic and applications of that work in Enterprise Management, Computational Law, and General Game Playing. He is the director of the Logic Group at Stanford and the founder and research director of CodeX - the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics.