Book contents
- Equalizing Justice
- Equalizing Justice
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- In Memoriam
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Author’s Note
- Introduction
- Part I Addressing the Crisis in Access to Justice with Legal AI
- Part II Automating Legal Tasks with AI and Other Technologies
- Part III Promising Applications
- Part IV Today’s Access to Justice Systems
- 13 Today’s Access to Justice Systems
- Part V Barriers and Risks
- Part VI Recommendations
- Index
13 - Today’s Access to Justice Systems
from Part IV - Today’s Access to Justice Systems
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 July 2026
Book contents
- Equalizing Justice
- Equalizing Justice
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- In Memoriam
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Author’s Note
- Introduction
- Part I Addressing the Crisis in Access to Justice with Legal AI
- Part II Automating Legal Tasks with AI and Other Technologies
- Part III Promising Applications
- Part IV Today’s Access to Justice Systems
- 13 Today’s Access to Justice Systems
- Part V Barriers and Risks
- Part VI Recommendations
- Index
Summary
Through case studies and interviews, this chapter explores both the transformative potential and the implementation challenges of AI and other technologies in today’s access to justice systems. It features profiles of legal technology initiatives transforming how unrepresented litigants access justice, from British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal, which handles over 52,000 cases through fully remote proceedings, to AI-powered chatbots like JusticeBot and Rentervention, which serve thousands of users.
The chapter examines nonprofit and public sector initiatives, including Pro Bono Net’s LawHelp Interactive, Upsolve’s bankruptcy assistance platform, Kansas’s Protection Order Portal, Nevada’s Self-Help Chatbot, and Suffolk University’s Document Assembly Line Project, as well as commercial platforms such as Hello Divorce, Courtroom5, and Quest for Justice. These initiatives demonstrate technology’s potential to scale legal assistance.
However, significant challenges remain, including sustainability as crisis funding expires, language access, and unauthorized practice of law restrictions. Their long-term success depends on sustained funding commitments and institutional willingness to embrace technological innovation that makes justice more accessible to all.
Keywords
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- Type
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- Information
- Equalizing JusticeHarnessing AI for Litigants Without Lawyers, pp. 243 - 274Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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