Document Type
Note
Abstract
This note explores various pro bono technologies available on the legal market as well as looks to how firms will conduct pro bono work in the future and what the drivers of change are within the industry. Addressing barriers to adopting certain technological offerings, as well as how those offerings can and should be evaluated, is important to finding aspects of legal technologies that can aid in solving legal problems. This note, in Part I, looks at the disruptive nature of online legal technologies before turning to state-specific reporting requirements, which sets the stage for how many hours are required of attorneys per year. Part II looks at how certain lawyers perform pro bono work online and analyzes the drivers of change within firms. In this section, high-performing firms, chosen on the basis of their Vault 100 ratings, are analyzed and pro bono partners at those firms discuss challenges associated with adopting technology, as well as what technologies are currently employed in their firm’s pro bono departments. Part III concentrates on which areas of pro bono work are currently on the rise and delves into the business models and the technology employed by current market offerings, including Paladin, ABA Free Legal Answers, and Pro Bono Net. The paper concludes in Part IV with a look to the future of pro bono legal work as it is increasingly paired with technology.
Recommended Citation
Katelyn N. Ringrose,
Note: Law and Technology: Online Legal Services that Help Bridge the Access-to-Justice Gap,
1
Notre Dame J. on Emerging Tech.
326
(2020).