Justice Innovation
An app or SMS/MMS based tool to let a person get expert feedback on their legal document: Is this correct? What does this mean? Is this ready to go?
We do this by having the person take a photo of it, then sending it on to the Self-Help Center, Law Librarian, Lawyer, or other expert. The expert receives the photo and can then give response to it.
Could we make a software tool to quickly customize and verify the appropriateness of a contract?
A small sketchnote of different ways we could get people’s legal issues sussed out: decision trees, telephone q-n-a, etc.
Could we welcome people in to have free coffee, free ice cream, even candy, and then get them directed to legal services from there?
Could we have stations in libraries, hospitals, everywhere that would be easy to ask questions around possible legal problems and see if you can get help? A technical touchpoint that would triage you and send you on your way to help.
What if we had more legal services that provided people in crisis with empathy? It might be in the form of someone to listen to their story and engage them in conversation. It might be a computer algorithm that gives a sense of conversation and attention. It might be with small interventions in the typical court, legal aid, or lawyer processes that make people feel more ‘listened to’ and ‘understood’.
What if every person had a lawyer that was closely related to them, that was responsible for advising them and keeping them legally healthy, and dealing with any problem that arises for them.
Could we build a smart system inside courthouses that provide Internet access, connections to printing/copying, and electrical power for all those who need to be computer-connected while doing their business in the court?
What if legal aid groups banded together, to make their office, software, services, and other purchases together? If they buy in bulk and together, they can negotiate better prices, licenses, and other terms. A platform could bring these groups together to make smarter decisions (based on the wisdom of the group, so that each group doesn’t have to relearn the space or redo the negotiations). It can also save them money and time, and get more favorable conditions.
This idea came out of the Florida 2015 Legal Aid Summit, and was a finalist for the awards.
A vision from the Judicial Council’s Bonnie Hough at the UCHastings conference on equal access to justice.