Are We Still Inventing New Techniques?

March 2023.

Alec Thompson

Workshop on Empirical Contributions to Doctrinal Research Paper

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I argue modern legal techniques have not changed significantly since Victorian England (~1880 AD). Given some forms of legal technique are more effective in managing information and coordinating behaviour, this stagnancy is significant in a rapidly changing society. I propose a new form of legal technique to make complex legal arguments easier. It leverages the cognitive resources of open-access volunteer work, superior database technology, and a new legal ontology.