This article offers an analysis of the historical development of legal informatics in Russia (Soviet Union) and other jurisdictions. The research aims to structure the knowledge in the field of legal and technological convergence from the standpoint of legal engineering. The empirical material of the research includes both contemporary articles and fundamental publications from the corresponding historical periods. The article provides a brief historical report on the development of legal informatics over decades, starting with the prerequisites for its formation in the 40s - 50s of the XXth century. As a result, special aspects of Russian (Soviet) and foreign legal informatics are identified. The USSR, and later - Russia, is characterised by a large number of legal teach developments in forensic science and criminal investigation. Foreign legal informatics for commercial and non-governmental purposes evolved much earlier. Moreover, legal tech research projects developed at universities also have their own features, e.g. foreign universities organise legal hackathons, support start-up projects; legal theory professors raise questions at the interface of law and artificial intelligence. All above mentioned aspects require a more active involvement in the international dialogue.