By Zilan Keskin
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, legal technology solutions hold immense potential to transform access to justice. As the law remains complex, technology offers a modern solution by utilizing digital tools in legal services to complement the expertise of human professionals and improve access to justice for all.
The Importance of Accessible Legal Services
Access to justice and the broader legal system is fundamental to upholding the rule of law and ensuring fairness in society. It is a constitutionally recognized human right, yet it has been compromised by the complexities of legal processes and an under-resourced justice system. Successfully accessing justice requires understanding legal issues, knowing one’s rights, making informed decisions, and achieving the best possible outcomes—all of which depend on professional legal assistance and access to the right resources.
The Impact of Austerity on Justice Access
Years of austerity in the UK have drained essential funding from public services, including health, education, and justice. This has left the system constrained and fragmented. However, legal technology in services is emerging as a powerful solution to widening access to justice. According to a recent SRA report, technology, when effectively utilized, can meet the legal needs of large numbers of individuals and small businesses across England and Wales.
How Technology Enhances Access to Justice
Legal technology addresses the issue of restricted access to justice by:
- Reducing costs
- Minimizing time spent on administrative tasks by lawyers
- Empowering individuals to take greater control over their legal issues.
The growing interest in using technology to address unmet legal needs is evident in the work of organizations like HMCTS. Plans to digitalize the court system and invest in technology to support early resolution of legal issues reflect a broader trend toward digital transformation in the justice sector.
Leveraging Legal Technology for the Underrepresented
Legal tech can significantly improve access to justice for low-income individuals by:
- Providing key legal information
- Connecting individuals with lawyers
- Automating and producing legal documents.
Examples of such technology include chatbots like Billy Bot, which acts as a legal clerk, legal advice apps like LegalZoom for creating trusts and wills, and legal aid apps like LawWorks for Pro Bono services. These digital tools are making legal assistance more accessible and affordable.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Acceleration of Legal Tech
Future tech savvy virtual courtrooms
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated efforts to enhance access to justice through technology. It has also redefined the working arrangements within which legal services are provided remotely. Clinics, law firms, legal aid providers, and other service providers are embracing technological advancements, leading to a domino effect on justice access worldwide during the pandemic.
Collaboration and the Future of Legal Services
Collaboration of engineers and lawyers working together to enable access to justice through technology
As noted by Felix Brown in his reflection on the post-pandemic legal sector, stakeholders in legal services must collaborate to share knowledge and identify actionable stress points across the public, private, and third sectors. This collaboration is crucial to pinpointing areas where technology can most effectively bridge the access to justice gap.
The Future of Justice: Fairness Through Technology
The notion that justice should be accessible only to those who can afford it has always been unjust. However, legal technology has the potential to revolutionize the legal system through various avenues. For instance:
- Legal advice apps offer comprehensive legal advice for less than £30 a month,
- Online courts enable self-represented litigants to handle their cases efficiently,
- The digitalization of support services increases welfare awareness.
Embracing Legal Tech for a Fairer Future
The legal sector must recognize the pragmatism of technology in widening access to justice, especially considering the ongoing legal digital transformation and AI initiatives in the legal sector. Legal tech advancements have moved beyond their embryonic stage and continue to unlock greater efficiencies as they take on more tasks. Although cultural and ethical concerns about the impact of technology on the legal sector remain, legal tech is undeniably a valuable asset in creating a more accessible and affordable legal system.
All images on this blog are generated by artificial intelligence.
