I spoke to a law school class today about Access to Justice technology.

Here’s the outline of my talk, in case you’re interested. The list of “who’s doing it” is not exhaustive, so don’t get your undies in a bunch if I don’t mention your fav. I am always happy to talk to students about what’s going on in the world if you’re looking for a guest speaker.

Access to Justice Tech Talk

Introduction

DISCLAIMER – I don’t speak for or represent my employer

About Me

• Lawyer/Librarian

• Accidental Technologist

• Web 2.0 plus work with SRLs plus 2008 recession

• Generally optimistic but I can slide into Matt Foley X Festivus Airing of Grievances but I will try not to

What is Access to Justice?

What it’s not.  Not for just poor people.  No “legal Tuskegee Experiments” on my watch.

Four Buckets

• Access to Legal Services

• Access to Benefits - What are benefits? Government things to be sure, but basically things covered by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Access to Courts

• Access to Legal Information

Types of A2J Tech

Access to Legal Services

• ProBono matching services

• Intake forms

• Eligibility for services

• Lawyer created forms/products

Access to Benefits

• Form automatio

• Disaster situations

Access to Courts

• Video/Audio

• Online Dispute Resolution

• eFiling/PACER

• Form automation

• Process improvement

Access to Knowledge/Info

• Blogs/White Papers

• Libraries

• Free and Open Law

Other Considerations

• Diversity Diversity Diversity

• Know your audience when you build

• Tech not always necessary (e.g. Miranda)

• For god’s sake, don’t build an app

• Or blockchain

• New Puppy Syndrome

• Open Source whenever possible

Who’s Doing It?

You can do this. 

You should do this. 

Access to Legal Services/Benefit

• LSC TIG Grants - history/purpose

  • Probono.Net

  • LawHelp Interactive

  • A2J Author

• Legal Aids

  • ILAO

  • Louisiana Legal Aid - FloodProof

• Bars and Bar Foundations

  • Me / ABA Center for Innovation

  • Chicago Bar Foundation

• Firms - Neota

• Independent Companies

  • Theory and Principle

  • SixFifty

• Probono

  • Paladin

  • ABA Free Legal Answers

• Non Profits

  • Laginappe Law

  • A2J Tech Store

  • Community.lawyer

  • UpSolve

Access to Courts

• Richard Susskind done tole y’all

• Illinois form uniformity

• Texting reminders

• Post-Release work by Judge Scott Schlegel in Lousiana

• ODR

  • Tyler Technologies/Modria

  • Matterhorn

  • Court Created e.g. Utah

Access to Knowledge

• Libraries

• Legal Information Institutes

• LexBlog

• Free Law Project

That it.

As a side note, when I was prepping for this, I looked back at my old blog and found this, which I made four years ago. I feel like I’ve learned a ton since then. I need to update this sometime.