Overview
Traditionally, the representation of (legal) knowledge in knowledge-based systems has been dictated by the available representation methods, which often impose undue restrictions. Moreover, the traditional approach generally results in undesired task-dependencies.
Frame-Based Conceptual Models of Statute Law presents a different approach: instead of using the standard methods, the book sets out from the requirements set by the legal domain. These requirements are established through an extensive analysis of the literature on legal theory, as well as through an in-depth analysis of a test domain — the Dutch Unemployment Benefits Act.
The results of the analyses are used to provide an ontology for the conceptual representation of legal knowledge that caters to the peculiarities of the legal domain. It proves possible to use conceptual models assembled from elements of the ontology for a variety of goals.
A formal version of the ontology is discussed in Knowledge Representation for Multiple Legal Tasks: A case study of the interaction problem in the legal domain by P.R.S. Visser (also published in this series).