The researchers, Sasha Ivkovic and John Yearwood of the University of Ballarat, and Andrew
Stranieri of La Trobe University, Australia, are interested in whether interesting and actionable
association rules can be uncovered in a large data set containing information on applicants for
government-funded legal aid in Australia. Because most legal data is not structured in a manner
easily suited to most data mining techniques, application of knowledge discovery methods to
legal data has not developed as quickly as in other areas. The researchers’ goal is to improve the delivery of legal services and just outcomes in law, through improved use of available legal
data.