Abstract
Keeping a terminological database up to date is essential. This is particularly important in the field of law, which is subject to continuous changes involving underlying concepts, their designations as well as concept relations. These changes do not only require an expansion of the terminological database, but, very often, also demand a revision of existing and “completed” database entries. Keeping track of changes and maintaining an overview of systems of concepts where the single elements are in continuous alteration is quite difficult, especially as the database grows. This paper focuses on how changes in law have an impact on terminology work, and some strategies are shown that help with maintaining an overview of continuously changing concepts, designations and concept relations. These strategies are annotations in the database as well as graphical representations of concept relations. The application of these methods will be illustrated with examples taken from the legal terminology database at EURAC.