inaugural Justice Innovation fellowship

THE FELLOWSHIP

The Justice Innovation Fellow will explore the feasibility of leveraging the power of large language model (LLM) AI to improve access to justice for pro se litigants by streamlining repetitive and time-consuming tasks – while avoiding some of the technology’s predictable pitfalls. Efforts will focus on two time-consuming but important areas: the updating and drafting of family law instructions and the intake process for legal consultations.

FORM / INSTRUCTION PACKETS

In King County, the Family Law Facilitators have created instruction sets for many common family law matters – such as filing for divorce or asking the court for a temporary order.  But laws, court rules, and procedures frequently change and it’s an ongoing challenge to maintain these instructions in a resource-constrained environment.  The Fellow will explore the possibility of using artificial intelligence to help with current awareness and the initial drafting of updated, jurisdictionally appropriate instructions.   

CONSULTATION INTAKE

One of the more time-consuming aspects of providing in-person assistance is sifting through a patron’s story to determine the actual issue at hand – particularly if there is a language barrier.  The Fellow will assess the viability of using AI-enabled voice-to-text functionality to clarify and expedite the presentation of client issues to the facilitator or volunteer attorney.

STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

This will be an exploratory project to help determine technical viability – things like vendors, products and implementation approach have yet to be determined.  The work of the inaugural fellow will inform and guide the work of later fellows as the project moves forward.

For a more detailed explanation of the project, please read the KCBA Bar Bulletin article linked below – and the Call for Applications, linked above.