Data tool planned

The first step in producing a common legal XML standard is being taken by the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA) with the formation of a component list.

XML is a language used to build electronic documents, including Web pages, in a text format (a schema).

This allows the user to look at the data without theprogram that produced it.The list will set out uniform building blocks to be used in constructing documents.The LSSA, a body for legal systems developers and vendors, hopes to publish a basic component list for comment next month.

Neil Ewin, chairman of the LSSA working party and Leeds case management company Solicitec, said: 'There is an industry-wide drive for utilising XML, but there must be a common language behind it.

It is important to put down a standard we can all work with.'Andrew Towler