Making Legal Technologies Used and Useful: Expanding Access to Civil Justice

This session explored emerging evidence of how legal technologies can be made both used and useful in expanding access to justice. It drew on research and practice experience, and discussed the key elements that separate effective technology-based justice interventions from those that are less effective. JustFix.nyc and Haqdarshak served as case studies to showcase how organizations can successfully integrate technological platforms in their work with clients to serve their justice needs in the housing and public benefits contexts. Haqdarshak, for example, trains local entrepreneurs to operate the platform, who collect service fees for its operation, making a sustainable model for the system. JustFix.nyc has an online platform that uses data and technology to fight displacement and expand access to justice. It can automate formal complaints against landlords for neglected repairs or to report harassment, with the aim to correct the legal imbalance between tenants and landlords. The idea behind both start-ups was to use technology to solve problems that everyday citizens face. Not to change laws, but to facilitate access to services, build accountability, and empower citizens.

Read the full summary for this working session.