Jason Charles King

The Abstract:

Comparative legal scholarship faces a fundamental challenge of scale. While the global volume of case law and statutory data expands exponentially, traditional comparative methodologies remain manual, subjective, and limited by human processing capacity.

This article proposes a solution: a novel, algorithmic framework for defining “Legal Equivalence” designed to structure human analysis and train computational systems. Building on a four-level spectrum of equivalence—Total, Functional, Partial, and No Direct Equivalent—this framework moves beyond binary distinctions to establish a nuanced, data-driven classification system.

By bridging the gap between doctrinal theory and computational science, this methodology offers a blueprint for the future of computational comparative law, transforming the field from anecdotal observation to empirical calibration.

Key Concepts:

• The Legal Equivalence Spectrum: A 4-level taxonomy for classifying legal similarity.
• Legal Distance (d): A quantitative metric to measure the separation between legal concepts⁶.
• Velocity of Legal Evolution (Vlegal): A vector-based calculation to track legal convergence or divergence over time⁷.

Suggested Citation:

King, Jason C. (2026). Computational Equivalence: A Structured Methodology (Working Paper v3.0). ⁸

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