A big part of law is steeped in information, but making sense of the sheer volume of available data poses problems ranging from accuracy to cost-efficiency. Whether gathering knowledge on Felony statistics to prepare a case or analyzing court decisions to detect trends, legal research consumes a lot of man hours. Companies like Intelius provide access to reams of data, but the ability to cull this volume of information and make sense of it remains a challenge.
Legal research is loosely defined as identifying and retrieving relevant data to direct and support legal decision-making. That applies to drawing contracts, constructing a case or even running your law firm. Statistical analysis, as it applies to investigations, prosecution and trial outcomes, is especially important for lawyers to understand.
Steps in Data Analysis
Data analytics, whether in law or scientific research, follows five basic steps:
* Framing the question, What is it you need to know or what problem are you trying to solve?
* Gathering the relevant information
* Cleaning and structuring the information so it’s understandable
* Running an analysis and testing theories
* Using the information to draw a conclusion or make decisions
Data analytics applications perform this process more efficiently and without the bias of human error to allow more informed decision making. In the area of law, this has many useful applications. Firms can perform analytics to streamline billing or assess risk and determine probabilities of outcome in a trail or negotiation.
The Evolution of Data Analysis in … Read More