Legal AI usage/research ?

Apparently the use of artificial inteligence and 'expert systems' for legal
questions has exploded in the last few years.

Reading the absurdly worded legislation which I (as a lay person) have
included below, makes me understand this.   
Which wise man said "kill all the lawers" ? 
Or should it be the legislators - who are mostly lawers ?

I'm asking for readers to direct me to newsgroups and mailing lists 
which specialise in legal AI.  Possibly emailed to:
  easlab @ absamail 'dot' co 'dot' za

Thanks,

== Chris Glur.

The following exercise took me a lot of time and effort: given
A. the facts; B. the garbled legislation  to arrive at C. the conclusion.

It would be interesting to 'enter' it into an existing 'ES-shell' and
observe the forward and backward chaining.

* A. the facts: ----------------
An appeal from a  judgment in a civil proceedings at 
  Witwatersrand local division (hi-crt) is required.

* B. the garbled s.african legislation ( can you believe it ?!):-----------
20. Appeals to Supreme Court in general. 

(1) An appeal from a judgment or order of the court of a provincial or 
local division in any civil proceedings or against any judgment or order 
of such a court given on appeal shall be heard by the appellate division 
or a full court, as the case may be.
[Sub-s. (1) substituted by s. 20 (a) of Act No. 129 of 1993.]
Wording of Sections
(2) (a) If leave is granted under subsection (4)(b) to appeal against a 
judgment or order, in any civil proceedings, of a court constituted 
before a single judge, the court against whose judgment or order the 
appeal is to be made or the appellate division, according to whether 
leave is granted by that court or the appellate division, shall direct 
that the appeal be heard by a full court, unless it is satisfied that the 
questions of law and of fact and the other considerations involved in the 
appeal are of such a nature that the appeal requires the attention of the 
appellate division, in which case it shall be directed that the appeal be 
heard by the appellate division.
[Para. (a) substituted by s. 20 (b) of Act No. 129 of 1993.]
Wording of Sections
(b) Any direction in terms of paragraph (a), by the court of a provincial 
or local division, may be set aside by the appellate division on 
application made to it by any interested party within 21 days, or such 
longer period as may on good cause be allowed, after the direction was 
given, and may be replaced by another direction in terms of paragraph (a).
[Para. (b) substituted by s. 20 (b) of Act No. 129 of 1993.]
Wording of Sections
(c) Any application to the appellate division under paragraph (b) shall 
be submitted by petition addressed to the Chief Justice, and the 
provisions of section 21(3)(b), (c) and (d) shall mutatis mutandis 
apply in respect thereof.
(3) An appeal which is to be heard by a full court in terms of a 
direction under subsection (2), shall be heard 

        (a)     in the case of an appeal against a judgment or order of a
provincial 
division, by the full court of the provincial division concerned;
        (b)     in the case of an appeal against a judgment or order of a local 
division other than the Witwatersrand local division, by the full court 
of the provincial division which exercises concurrent jurisdiction in the 
area of jurisdiction of the local division concerned;
        (c)     in the case of an appeal against a judgment or order of the 
Witwatersrand local division 

        (i)     by the full court of the Transvaal provincial division, unless a
direction by the judge president of that provincial division under 
subparagraph (ii) applies to it; or
        (ii)    by the full court of the said local division, if the said judge 
president has so directed in the particular instance.
[Sub-s. (3) amended by s. 20 (c) of Act No. 129 of 1993.]
Wording of Sections
(4) No appeal shall lie against a judgment or order of the court of a 
provincial or local division in any civil proceedings or against any 
judgment or order of that court given on appeal to it except 

        (a)     in the case of a judgment or order given in any civil
proceedings by 
the full court of such a division on appeal to it in terms of subsection (3), 
with the special leave of the appellate division;
        (b)     in any other case, with the leave of the court against whose
judgment 
or order the appeal is to be made or, where such leave has been refused, 
with the leave of the appellate division.
(5) (a) Any leave required in terms of subsection (4) for an appeal 
against a judgment or order of a court given on appeal to it, may be 
granted subject to such conditions as the court concerned or the 
appellate division, according to whether leave is granted by that court 
or the appellate division, may determine, and such conditions may include 
a condition that the applicant shall pay the costs of the appeal.
(b) If such leave to appeal is granted in any civil proceedings, the 
court granting the leave may order the applicant to find security for the 
costs of the appeal in such an amount as the registrar may determine, and 
may fix the time within which the security is to be found.
(c) If the leave to appeal required in terms of subsection (4)(b) has 
been refused by the court of a provincial or local division but is 
granted by the appellate division, the appellate division may vary any 
order as to costs made by the court concerned in refusing leave.
(6) The power to grant leave to appeal as contemplated in this section 

        (a)     shall not be limited by reason only of the value of the matter
in 
dispute or the amount claimed or awarded in the suit or by reason only of 
the fact that the matter in dispute is incapable of being valued in 
money; and
        (b)     shall be subject to the provisions of any other law which 
specifically limits it or specifically grants, limits or excludes any 
right of appeal.

* C. my conclusion:------------------

   If the judge who handed down the judgment agrees
     then a full court appeal can be heard at:
           Witwatersrand local division (the original location)
                          OR
           Transvaal provincial division
              depending on the judge president of Transvaal provincial division;
     else [if the judge who handed down the judgment refuses]
       one may apply to the appellate division.