The case for LegalXML

Extensible Markup Language is a natural fit for the criminal justice community, with courts, law enforcement agencies and other organizations needing to share information. It's important enough, in fact, that a nonprofit organization called LegalXML Inc. was founded in November 1998 to create standards for the electronic exchange of legal data.

The group has worked on specifications for electronic court filing, court documents, legal citations, transcripts and criminal justice intelligence systems.

On March 28, LegalXML joined the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), a nonprofit international consortium, with the goal of aligning its specifications with those of the global standards community.

As an OASIS member, LegalXML will continue to provide an open forum to enable those in the legal field to share experiences with XML.

"This is an important move for LegalXML," James Keane, co-chairman of the eLawyering Committee of the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section, said in a release. "Existing OASIS members, representing some of the largest and most innovative companies in the world, will now be able to actively contribute to the work of LegalXML."

Existing OASIS members participating in LegalXML include agencies, lawyers, developers, vendors and members of academia. The consortium will host open mail lists for public comment and make completed work freely available.

For more information, visit www.legalxml.org.