Technology

Access To Justice Through Technology For 2018

2018 will be the year that we move the needle on access to justice for all citizens using technology.

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It’s that time of year again, and predictions for 2018 are everywhere. In fact, while recording a recent podcast, I was asked about my thoughts for 2018.  To be blunt, I think it’s been well covered by others in terms of blockchain, which is truly the new artificial intelligence. However, instead I responded on the podcast with an aspirational prediction for the new year: 2018 will be the year that we move the needle on access to justice for all citizens using technology.

As I have written about previously, only about one in five Americans can access appropriate legal services. That does not include those who do not understand that their problem can be solved by a legal professional. We can start to address this education gap with a national awareness campaign and I am doing my part to elevate this issue.

Think Outside the Box

On the other side of clients not able to pay for legal services, many attorneys cannot afford to lower their rates to increase access to justice. Technology is an important part of the solution, but software, however, can be expensive and usually not within solo or small law firm budgets — and certainly not for legal aid offices.

Below is an excerpt from an interview, done for a future post, with document management system provider MetaJure, which launched a matching program for legal aid, like Toms’ One for One principle, where a pair of shoes is donated for each purchased pair.

MetaJure’s inspiration for giving back to legal aid came from Bill Ide, our Board Chair.  The company’s founders and Board always planned for MetaJure to give back to society once the company was profitable, but Bill challenged us to reconsider our timing and respond to an urgent need.  He asked, “Given likely cuts to federal funding of legal aid at a time of increasing need, can’t we find a way to make a difference now?  Maybe we can join our commitment to improving access to justice with raising the final dollars of our Series A financing?”

Moved by Bill’s appeal, MetaJure launched a program whereby for every dollar the company raises in the balance of its Series A financing, it makes an equivalent value of MetaJure’s products available free of charge to legal aid providers around the country.  MetaJure will soon have installed its products in nine of the nation’s largest legal aid providers, including Maine, Georgia, Utah, Arkansas, Colorado, Washington, California, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, giving their staff and volunteers better and faster access to critical information.’

This type of thinking will move the needle on access to justice, and I challenge other providers to provide either free or matching resources for either legal organizations or directly to citizens. 

Sponsored

Mission-Driven Companies

I wrote here about two companies that are both non-profit and their founders, George Clement and Jonathan Petts, who help renters and those facing bankruptcy, respectively.

Clement’s JustFix.nyc Advocate Dashboard allows community organizers, legal aid attorneys, and other advocates to conduct targeted outreach, gather evidence for group class-action cases, communicate efficiently with tenants, plus collect and analyze data about buildings, landlords, and neighborhoods. Petts’s Upsolve.org is a TurboTax approach to the application for Chapter 7 pro bono to help legal aid organizations multiply the clients they’re able to serve with a fresh start.

LegalShield is another mission-driven company, and CEO Jeff Bell states, “We protect and empower people. We are motivated by the desire to provide equal access to equal justice for all.” Through a mobile application, members pay a flat monthly fee for access to a law firm plus free forms and questions. Just recently, these forms were made available to non-members.

Legal checkups or similar risk quizzes are important for consumers and businesses alike. My own company has provided a free business risk assessment for small and medium companies for years. Educating Americans on their legal needs will help close our justice gap.

Sponsored

New Technology

More lawyers are leaving the practice of law to start companies that provide technology and that does not have to be within a non-profit. Last week, HelpSelf Legal was launched by former attorney, Dorna Moini.  She explained, “Intimate partner violence affects over 38 million women and 25% of men in their lifetimes.  Domestic violence restraining orders can provide stay away orders, financial support, and court mandates on child custody and visitation. But there are many different documents to be filed, depending on the county.  People don’t know what information is beneficial or harmful to their case, and there aren’t enough affordable or pro-bono lawyers. That’s where we come in. Our system is a robot that asks the user layperson-friendly, targeted questions based on the statutory requirements, and then fills out the legal forms to be filed.”

I will end 2017 with a call for any companies or organizations that are working on access to justice using technology, either through education or delivery,  to reach out to me on twitter @maryjuetten. In addition to this column, I am also writing for the ABA Journal online on these issues. Finally, if your organization is a non-profit, you can join Evolve Law (now Evolve the Law) for free — and you can find more information here. Let’s raise awareness by amplifying your good work. #onwards

Mary E. Juetten

Mary E. Juetten lives on the West Coast, holds a J.D., and is both an American and Canadian professional accountant. Mary is passionate about metrics that matter and access to justice. She founded Traklight and Evolve Law and consults as an Access Advocate for LegalShield. You can reach her by email at [email protected] or on Twitter: @maryjuetten.

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