Automation in the Field of Law :: Technology Research Papers

Automation in the Field of Law Missing Works Cited The question of what should be automated in our world is one that deserves serious contemplation. In a time when technology seems to race past our population at an incredible rate, the thought of our whole world being automated is not a radical concept. It has been predicted that in the near future, every aspect of our society will contain some sort of automation. But what is automation exactly? A Webster’s Dictionary for college students defines automation as â€Å"the handling and fabrication of materials by automatic machinery, especially when no part of the process is done by hand.†1 The same source gives the definition of automatic as â€Å"operated by self-acting machinery.†2 My idea of automation is a machine taking over a job that a human used to perform in such a way that the machine acts on its own to accomplish the task. Webster seems to aim at automation under the terms of machinery; but in our world today, most of the automation we are conc erned with involves computers. Computers are said to be a billion times faster than human beings and are known for their capability to hold more information than humans ever could. So in a world where automation is beginning to gain more and more ground on a daily basis, most aspects of our society have seen its effects. This is especially true for the field of law. There is an important need in this field to remain organized in order for it to be successful. This task requires that billions of laws be filed in an efficient way so they can be accessed on a daily basis by lawyers and judges in order to formulate case arguments and decisions. Now that computers are an essential part of our business world, it seems obvious that some type of automation such as a software program should be introduced into the field of law to help remain organized. But beyond the simple computer program, what about the thought that the whole system itself could be automated? Believe it or not, this thought is already being discussed, and systems are already being designed for that purpose. In the following paper, I will talk about three different types of automation currently used or proposed for use in the legal system.