Towards a Computational Account of Persuasion in Law

In this paper we attempt to give an account of reasoning with legal cases contextualised within a general theory of persuasion in practical reasoning. We begin by presenting our general theory, concentrating on the variety of ways in which a particular position can be attacked. We then apply our theory to the legal domain, illustrating our approach by a case study based on the well known CATO system. From this we conclude that it is possible to see reasoning with legal cases as a particular instantiation of our general theory. We identify some points of interest for discussion, and conclude by stating our intended directions for future work.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: ICAIL
• Authors: Katie Greenwood, Trevor J. M. Bench-Capon, Peter McBurney
• Keywords: General Theory, ICAIL 2003, Legal Cases, We Begin