A2J Author, Legal Aid Organizations, and Courts: Bridging the Civil Justice Gap Using Document Assembly
12 Pages Posted: 10 Oct 2017
Date Written: May 2017
Abstract
Because there is a huge justice gap in the United States, millions of Americans are eligible for legal aid. With few attorneys working in legal aid organizations nationwide, low-income people, by necessity, are becoming self-represented litigants. This article discusses the history of document assembly and A2J Author®, an interactive interviewing tool for self-represented litigants within the legal aid context; makes the argument for why document assembly can help to close the justice gap; shows that over the past decade, this technology has repeatedly proven itself to be cost effective, efficient, and well received by self-represented litigants; and finally, discusses the next wave of technological advances A2J Author is making to keep itself relevant and useful to self-represented litigants.
Keywords: A2J, Access to Justice, Legal Technology, Legal Software, Law School, Legal Aid, Courts, Technology, Document Assembly
JEL Classification: K10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation