Find what matters.
Help people organise their own material, see what they have and identify gaps that an adviser may need to discuss with them.
Pro bono & access to justice
Making it easier to present a legal problem.
Finding the relevant documents, putting events in order and understanding what is missing take time and experience. For someone who cannot afford representation, that work can be a substantial barrier before the merits of their case are even considered.
I want to use my experience in litigation and technology to help reduce those barriers. Work with a startup in the family courts and renewed conversations with Citizens Advice are informing where I take this next.
01 · Current work & conversations
A connection to advice work.
Citizens Advice
I volunteered with Citizens Advice early in my career and have retained a strong affinity with its work. I have recently had discussions with Citizens Advice again. Those conversations are part of exploring how I might contribute; they are not yet a defined new project.
The family courts
I am working with a startup in the family courts and have had discussions with members of the judiciary. That experience is helping me understand where technology might be useful to people dealing with proceedings without legal representation, and what the people supporting them need from it.
I want to develop further pro bono work with courts and advice organisations. The starting point should be a difficulty they recognise in their daily work, with their staff and intended users involved in deciding what would help.
02 · Where I would start
Help with the work around the case.
These are directions I would like to explore with collaborators, rather than services already available through this site.
Put events in order.
Make it easier to prepare an account of what happened, with each event connected to its source and uncertainties left visible.
Make the next conversation useful.
Help someone arrive at an advice appointment with a clearer account, accessible documents and questions they want to resolve.
03 · What would count as useful
Less work for the people seeking and giving help.
A tool that produces more paperwork, introduces errors or creates false confidence can make a difficult situation worse. I would want to test any project with court staff, advisers and the people expected to use it.
The test is whether it helps someone explain their problem, helps an adviser understand it, or removes avoidable work without losing important information. A convincing demonstration would only be the beginning of that assessment.
I would welcome conversations with courts, advice organisations and potential collaborators about a focused project, particularly where people have little access to paid legal or technical support.