Leveraging Technology to Access the Hidden Justice Market and Improve Economic Mobility

While everyone knows you’re entitled to a lawyer when charged with a crime, the same isn’t true for the tens-of-millions of Americans that navigate evictions, medical debt, and child custody disputes every year. Nearly 90 million of these cases take place in courts all over the country, and in at least half of those cases one person goes at it alone, unable to hire an attorney. Courts struggle to accommodate the growing number of unrepresented litigants, often lacking the resources to provide meaningful assistance. This leads to outcomes that make courts a major venue for wealth redistribution: moving limited resources from the poorest to the well off. This justice gap disproportionately impacts low-income individuals and communities of color, exacerbating financial instability and widening the wealth gap.

This session will shine a light on the hidden market of unrepresented people, the social entrepreneurs creating services for this population, and the need for a broad spectrum effort that ensures justice for all. Courts are one of the most critical and heavily utilized government institutions in the U.S., yet they remain outdated, opaque, and inaccessible to many. As the front door of American democracy, courts must prioritize public need over institutional preservation. This session will address how technology solutions can modernize courts to better serve the public while rebuilding trust in the judicial system.

Our panel of legal technologists, AI experts, and social entrepreneurs will discuss how technology is being harnessed to bridge this access to justice gap while ensuring ethical safeguards. Attendees will gain insights into how technology and nonprofit collaborations are driving scalable, sustainable solutions that benefit both litigants and courts. A key focus will be on how courts can actively participate in and shape the development of AI-driven legal tools to meet their needs while ensuring equitable justice outcomes.