Standards
Akoma Ntoso
Akoma Ntoso (LegalDocML) is the OASIS standard for parliamentary, legislative and judicial documents. This page collects my work on it: an archive of historical documents, the standard itself, the book, and my teaching, talks and essays.
Historical archive
Landmark documents in Akoma Ntoso
From the Code of Hammurabi to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the latest version of the standard. Open one to read it, or take the XML.
| Date | Document | Origin | Language | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1754 BC | The Code of HammurabiBabylon’s 247 surviving laws, in L. W. King’s translation | Babylon | English translation | ViewXMLGitHub |
| c. 449 BC | The Twelve TablesRome's earliest written law, in a modern reconstruction | Rome | English translation | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 604 | Seventeen-Article ConstitutionMoral guidance for officials, attributed to Prince Shōtoku | Japan | Chinese, English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1215 | Magna CartaAll 63 clauses, with the translation linked to the Latin | England | Latin, English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1776 | Declaration of IndependenceWith all 56 signatures embedded in the XML | United States | English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1777 | Articles of ConfederationThe first U.S. constitution, with 48 signatures | United States | English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1787 | Constitution of the United StatesSeven articles, 40 signatures and all 27 amendments | United States | English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1789 | Declaration of the Rights of ManAll 17 articles, on twin tablets, with an English translation | France | French, English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1803 | Marbury v. MadisonThe Supreme Court decision that established judicial review | United States | English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1840 | Treaty of WaitangiTe Tiriti o Waitangi: parallel texts that differ in meaning | New Zealand | Māori, English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1863 | Emancipation ProclamationLincoln’s order, with the original seal and signatures | United States | English | ViewXMLGitHub |
| 1948 | Universal Declaration of Human RightsAll 30 articles in the six official UN languages | United Nations | Six languages | ViewXMLGitHub |
Converted by Claude at my direction and validated against the Akoma Ntoso 2.0 schema. These are generated renditions for reading and study, not official texts. How they were made →
The standard
Oct 2026Akoma Ntoso Version 2.0 (AKN 3.1)Approved as an OASIS Standard; co-editorStandardOct 2026Akoma Ntoso V2.0 approved as OASIS StandardThe OASIS announcementPressAug 2018Akoma Ntoso Version 1.0The first OASIS Standard; co-editor with Monica Palmirani, Fabio Vitali and Roger SperbergStandard2015–2018Contributions to the OASIS LegalDocML committeeMailing-list contributions, including the Pocket Guide and the Akoma Ntoso namespaceCommitteeSep 2002OASIS Legislative XML committee call for participationAmong the proposers of an OASIS technical committee on legislative XMLCommitteeCurrentOASIS LegalDocML Technical CommitteeActive member of the committee that maintains Akoma NtosoCommittee
The book
The Pocket Guide to Akoma Ntoso
A compact, practical guide to how documents are structured, identified and amended in Akoma Ntoso, written for developers and drafting offices putting the standard to work.
Get a copy on Lulu ↗Teaching and talks
All speaking →I have taken part in the LEX Summer School at the University of Bologna every year since 2010.
Sep 2026Modeling the U.S. Code and Other Select Laws in Akoma NtosoRecurring LEX Summer School lecture, University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyLecture
Jun 2026Akoma Ntoso: Why We Need StandardsLegisTech Ireland, Houses of the Oireachtas, DublinTalkSep 2021LEX2021 "Law as Code" Summer SchoolTaught XML and Akoma Ntoso, University of Bologna (held online)Teaching2018Introducing Akoma NtosoSpeaking tour of Australian drafting and publishing officesTalk
Sep 2017Modelling Amendments in Akoma NtosoLEX Summer School, University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyLecture
Sep 2017Modelling U.S. State Legislation in Akoma NtosoLEX Summer School, University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyLecture
2016Akoma Ntoso PrimerHouse of Lords, LondonTalk
Sep 2015Akoma Ntoso Use Cases from Around the WorldLEX Summer School, University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyLecture
Sep 2015USLM as a Derivative of Akoma NtosoLEX Summer School, University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyLecture
Aug 2015First International Akoma Ntoso Conference (IANC2015)George Mason University, including how USLM derives from Akoma NtosoTalkJul 2015First U.S. Akoma Ntoso Summer SchoolGeorge Mason University; taught modeling the U.S. Code in Akoma NtosoTeaching2015International Update: Akoma Ntoso 3.0 and LegalCiteMU.S. House Legislative Data and Transparency Conference, Washington DCTalk
2014Modelling the U.S. Code in USLM: A Derivative of Akoma NtosoPaper for JURIX 2014Paper
Sep 2014Akoma Ntoso Developer's Workshop after LEX 2014University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyTalkSep 2012Akoma Ntoso Developer's WorkshopPresented California law in Akoma Ntoso; also taught. University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, ItalyTalkMay 2012International Legislation UnhackathonOpening talk for a hands-on Akoma Ntoso markup eventTalk
Essays
All Akoma Ntoso essays →
Nov 2026An Election Day Constitution in Akoma NtosoHow the Constitution in the archive was madeEssayJan 2022Mapping Amending Language to Akoma Ntoso ModificationsActive and passive modifications, explained with a California billEssayJan 2022Comparing DOCX to Akoma Ntoso for LegislationWhy DOCX is a poor fit for legislationEssayJan 2022What is Good Legislative XML?Rules of thumb for designing legislative XMLEssayOct 2017Using the <hcontainer> Element ProperlyA how-to on Akoma Ntoso's generic hierarchy elementEssayJun 2017Implementing an Akoma Ntoso EditorLessons from building oneEssayMay 2015Akoma Ntoso (LegalDocML) is now available for public reviewThe OASIS public reviewEssayDec 2013Sheldon’s Roommate Agreement – in Akoma NtosoA light-hearted markup exampleEssaySep 2013The U.S. Code in Akoma NtosoConverting the U.S. CodeEssayFeb 2012And now for something completely different… Chinese!Testing Akoma Ntoso on the bilingual Hong Kong Basic LawEssayFeb 2012Applying Akoma Ntoso to the United States CodeAn early experimentEssay
