SALI LMSS: Legal Matter Standard Specification

The file LMSS.owl is an XML file that represents SALI's primary taxonomy/ontology, providing over 18,000 tags.

Each SALI LMSS tag has its own unique identifier (IRI).

The identifiers in this LMSS.owl file are used in the SALI API standard, where stakeholders use those identifiers/IRIs to - make API calls - make API responses (i.e., provide API payloads) ...all in using SALI Standardized identifiers (IRIs)

See https://github.com/sali-legal/api/blob/main/SALI_API.yml

This LMSS.owl file will be updated regularly.

• But please note that until a formal Release (e.g., Version 3.0, Version 4.0), the commits are still subject to public review.
• The LMSS.owl will become final upon its Release.
• Even during the interim stages, changes to the IRIs will be unlikely.
• Rarely, IRIs may be deprecated -- and then, most likely be related to consolidation/de-duplication (e.g., during the Public Comment stage).
  • SALI will strive to retain deprecated IRIs -- placing them in a folder labeled DEPRECATED NODES.

After a Release, nearly all of the IRIs will remain operative for decades (or forever). Future changes (if any) are likely to be only with properties:

• E.g., Labels (i.e., rdfs:label) -- a common English label
• E.g., Synonyms (i.e., skos:altLabel and skos:prefLabel) -- such as alternative names (e.g., Motion to Dismiss is Demurrer and MTD)
  • skos:prefLabel = Second-most-common English synonym
  • skos:altLabel = Synonyms, Translations
• E.g., Translations (i.e., skos:altlabel) with the world's most-common languages (e.g., hi-in [India's Hindi], hi-il [Israel's Hebrew]) and country-specific spellings (e.g., en-GB [British English], fr [French], fr-CA [Canadian French], pt-br [Brazilian Portuguese])
• E.g., Definitions (e.g., skos:definition)
• E.g., Sources (e.g., rdfs:isDefinedBy, dc:source)
• E.g., Edges/relationships (e.g., rdfs:seeAlso, sali:governedBy, sali:superseded, sali:observed)
• E.g., Examples (i.e., skos:example) -- such as "statute superseded judicial opinion", "attorney observed deposition", County Attorney's Office
• E.g., Multiple Parentage (e.g., additional rdfs:subClassOf parents)

The identifiers/IRIs themselves will remain static and stable.

After a comment period, LMSS will have ongoing formal Releases (e.g., LMSS 3.0 or LMSS 4.0). Until the Release, main remains unfinalized, but the IRIs will remain relatively stable.