Legal Information Systems in Austria - Solutions for Experts and Citizens1

Already in the seventies, Austria started to document constitutional law electronically. In 1990, a comprehensive documentation of Austrian law and court decisions was started. The Legal Information System of the Republic of Austria (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes – RIS) is one major part of several IT – applications in the judicial field. Today RIS is accepted as one pillar in the network of justice, containing almost all norms, which are used by legal professionals. The recent development will lead to an electronic workflowsystem, specially designed for the law-making-process, with the final result to publish theFederal Gazette authentic over internet. In addition to that databases for professional users, HELP – a brand new internet service designed to guide citizens through official procedures was established in 1997. HELP (www.help.gv.at) is the national e-government portal of the Austrian government and a service platform for all citizens. It offers information, interaction and an increasing number of transaction services. Thanks to a solution-oriented approach with access through "life situations" (e.g. passport, marriage, birth) HELP links a great variety of authorities at the federal, provincial and municipal level. This makes HELP a "turntable" redirecting citizens automatically to the competent body.