Increasing Access to Justice — from law.upenn.edu

Excerpt:

By his second year of law school, Willis had created the idea for the Fellowship and, with the support of several key partners, was able to launch the program and begin to pursue the mission of connecting people dedicated to using innovative ideas to expand access to the justice system.

To ensure that the program remained truly inclusive and diverse, Willis has prioritized building relationships with law student affinity groups at different schools across the country. Having personally served on the board for the National Black Law Students Association, Willis knows the value of those personal connections and prioritizes promoting equity within the access to justice technology space.

“The goal really is to try to build community around this group of innovators who will address these structural issues within our legal system to really improve services for the most vulnerable populations and communities,” Willis said. “There’s always more work to be done, but I’m really proud of the changemakers who have come through the program and who are really making a name for themselves and working on important impact work.”

Also relevant/see:

As States Toy With Reform, Legal Tech Cos. Fill Justice Gap — from law360.com by Sarah Martinson; with thanks to Penn Law Future of the Profession Initiative

Excerpt:

More than 100 legal technology companies have formed in the last 10 years to provide legal assistance to millions of Americans who can’t afford an attorney, helping to bridge a gap in access to justice, while less than a handful of states have taken action to expand the practice of law.

According to the Legal Services Corporation’s 2022 Justice Gap Study, low-income Americans do not get adequate legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems and the cost of legal assistance is a barrier.