By Shiva KooragayalaThe extent to which artificial intelligence can transform the legal system remains under fierce debate amongst scholars and practitioners nationwide. The use of artificial intelligence in legal practice is laden with concerns around confidentiality, privilege, and quality control. Nevertheless, projects such as Rentervention, created by Chicago-based housing justice organization Law Center for
Pro Bono
The Power of Legal Aid Mentorship: The Marty Wegbreit Effect
By Sarah Bennett BuresThe topic of my first pro bono case was auto fraud. A shady car dealer had made false representations to my client to induce her to buy a lemon. I attended a training session, researched possible claims, and met with my client with the energy and enthusiasm of a Big Law junior associate.…
Leap for Justice Recap: Celebrating LSC’s Past, Present, and Future
By Christian J. PalaciosI recently attended the Leap for Justice: Celebrating LSC’s Past, Present, and Future, hosted by Northwestern Law School. The purpose of the event was to celebrate LSC’s 50th year of providing civil legal aid to low-income Americans, after having originally been established by Congress in 1974. The program boasted a variety of distinguished…
Starting from Scratch: How a new program is helping courts embrace user-centered technology
By Jason TasheaIt’s been about a year since I sat down with Molly McDonough on LSC’s Talk Justice podcast to talk about a new program I was launching at Georgetown Law: The Judicial Innovation Fellowship.At the time, everything was hypothetical and there were big open questions about what we were doing: Would courts apply for…
From Non-Lawyer to Law Student: Perspectives on Access to Justice
By Kelsea JeonGoing to law school seemed a bit paradoxical for me. Of course, given that I had not yet gone to law school at the time, I was a non-lawyer. But not only was I a non-lawyer, I also advanced the idea that non-lawyers could — and should — be able to provide legal help to those in need.…
The Power of Pro Bono
By Sterling WilliamsThroughout my legal career as a corporate attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions — specifically private equity and independent sponsor deals — I have had the privilege of engaging in pro bono work for nonprofit organizations. Guiding these entities in establishing their non-profit statuses and facilitating their registrations with the appropriate local jurisdictions has been instrumental in enabling…
A Conversation with Laura Klein
By Kristen SondayPaladin Co-Founder Kristen Sonday asks DOJ Pro Bono Program Manager Laura Klein about the value of pro bono work for both attorneys and clients, the government’s pro bono program and more.Tell us about the Federal Government’s pro bono program? How did it get started?As early as the 1970’s, efforts have been made to encourage federal government…
LSC’s Rural Summer Legal Corps: Hana’s Story
by Liani BalasuriyaEvery year dozens of law students spend their summers helping rural communities through fellowships with the Rural Summer Legal Corps (RSLC). Last summer, Hana Muslic was one of them, joining the staff at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. Hana’s personal experience as a Bosnian refugee who received public assistance made her a…
Ban on Legal Innovation Can Mean Life or Death
By Dorna MoiniAs a pro bono attorney, I sat on a bench in a California courthouse beside a woman covering a bruise under her gauzy pashmina. Andrea told me that she had dragged her two young children across town because she knew this was her two-hour window, once a week, to get free legal assistance from…
On the DoNotPay and AI Lawyer Experiment
By Kristen SondayOriginally published on Kristen Sonday’s Medium page.Building and scaling justice technology is a responsibility I hold very dear. Especially for justice tech founders like Cami Lopez of PeopleClerk, Sonja Ebron of Courtroom5, Devshi Mehrota and Leslie Jones-Dove of JusticeText, and me, all of whom come from communities directly impacted by the…