By: Legal Aid of North Carolina

Access to justice is a fundamental right, yet for many low-income families, this right remains elusive due to financial constraints and limited resources. Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) recognizes the pressing need to address this issue and is taking steps towards improvement by establishing the Innovation Lab to identify, test, and implement transformative solutions.

The Need for Innovation:

Civil legal needs often go unmet, as there is no constitutional right to an attorney for such matters. According to a recent study, 92% of the civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans in a year received inadequate or no legal help. In North Carolina alone, 18% of the population, approximately two million people, are eligible for LANC services. Despite the high demand, the current ratio stands at one LANC attorney for every 8,000 eligible individuals.

The challenges faced by low-income families are exacerbated by the lack of resources in legal aid programs, hindering their ability to meet the demand for services. Identifying and securing resources to address this need, finding cost-efficient ways to deliver effective legal help, and recognizing the untapped opportunities to advance access to justice are imperative.

The Vision: Legal Aid of North Carolina Innovation Lab

In response to these challenges, LANC launched the Innovation Lab. The Lab uses a human-centered, collaborative, and transformative service delivery model to turn ideas into creative, inclusive solutions. The focus extends beyond technological advancements to a consideration of the social and ethical implications of technology, and the power of modern, collaborative, integrated advocacy solutions to bridging the justice gap.

Projects in the Works:

1. Rural Access to Justice:
   • LANCMobile: Collaborating with LANC’s disaster relief project to launch a Mobile Legal Services Unit (LANCMobile).
   • Library Partnership Pilot: Establishing partnerships with libraries to expand access to legal resources and services in community settings.
2. Projects to Improve Client Services:
   • LIA (Legal Information Assistant): Deploying a virtual assistant to provide users with instant access to legal information and guidance.
   • Modernizing Access to LANC: Improving client access and experience from the point of first contact to the conclusion of services.
   • Pre-screen Incorporation: Implementing a streamlined pre-screening process to enhance efficiency and accuracy in client access.
   • Improving Second Chance Service Delivery: Enhancing an expunction petition generator to reduce attorney preparation time from two hours to 15 minutes, transforming the delivery of Second Chance services for the justice involved.
   • Implementing SMS Texting Feature in CRM- LegalServer: Introducing a text messaging feature on LegalServer to facilitate better, more convenient communication with clients.
3. Improvements to Internal Operations:
   • Wills and POA Document Automation Tool: Developing a tool for automating the creation of wills and power of attorney documents, increasing efficiency in legal document preparation.
   • Partnering with Vanderbilt AI Law Lab (VAILL) for AI Integration: Collaborating with VAILL to identify opportunities for integrating artificial intelligence to enhance staff efficiency and decision-making processes.
   • Sourcing Donor Management Software, RaizersEdge: Sourcing and implementing new donor management software, RaizersEdge, to improve fundraising efforts and donor engagement.

The goal of these projects is not only to bridge the gap in access to justice but also to create a more equitable and efficient legal service delivery model that caters to the diverse needs of the community.

For more information about the Innovation Lab, visit LegalAidNC.org/innovation-lab.