Judgment Retrieval Made Easier Through Query Analysis

The Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (HKLII) provides a repository of legal documents in Hong Kong and such as ordinances and historical court judgments. HKLII provides a search facility through which users retrieve relevant documents. We perform statistical analysis on HKLII access log over a 5-year period categorizing user search queries and discovering interesting user access patterns. Based on this study, we propose enhancing user experience through identifying the search intent of the user. We classify a user query into one of several types and customize the search behavior based on the query type to enhance user experience. Our study provides an example of leveraging log analysis in legal information system design.