The Opportunity

The “Justice Gap” is a systemic problem that cannot be solved by isolated efforts.  Studies have shown that people without a lawyer are up to 1,000% more likely to have bad result in court, yet, only 23% is aware that there is help available.  Several emerging trends are now creating an opportunity for a community-based approach to address this problem

  • I. The need for legal help is on the rise:
  1. According to an American Bar Association study, about 40% of low-to-moderate income household experience at least one legal problem each year, yet legal aid services are only meeting about 20% of the need.
  2. The recent housing crisis and economic slowdown has further increased the need for legal assistance.
  • II. Adoption of technology and social media is wide-spread among the low-to-moderate income population:
  1. More than 70% of household with income less than $20,000 have access to the internet and 54% have broadband at home.
  2. Those with low-to-incomes are far more likely to use their phone as their primary internet device.
  • III. New generation of law students are gravitating towards practical training
  1. Legal employers and law students are no longer satisfied with traditional “theory-based” law school curriculum.
  2. Law schools are beginning to develop clinics-based training and experiment with ideas modeled after medical residency programs.
  3. New graduates and senior associates at big law firms are increasingly choosing solo or small practice over partner tracks at big law firms.
  • IV. We all want to help
  1. More than 500 crowdfunding platforms have sprung up over the past few years, proving that given the opportunity, we all want to help make the world better.
  2. goFundMe.com alone has raised over $1.25 billion dollars in a year, more than the annual budget for government sponsored legal aid (~$800 million).
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