Research Database

Community Legal Centres in the Digital Era: The Use of Digital Technologies in Queensland Community Legal Centres

This report addresses the use of technology by eight different community legal centres in Queensland, Australia. It draws on data collected from semi-structured, qualitative interviews with employees of the community legal centres. The report finds that the community legal centres preferred to adopt digital technologies that assisted with their organizational needs over client-oriented services, attempting […]

Legal Tech for Non-Lawyers: Report of the Survey of US Legal Technologies

This report canvasses the findings from a U.S. survey that identified digital technologies developed to help non-lawyers with justice problems. The survey identified 322 technologies designed for use by non-lawyers in US jurisdictions that were in existence as of Autumn The research focuses largely on access to justice in low-income communities and others who currently […]

The Digital Delivery of Legal Services to people on low incomes: Annual Report Summer 2019

This report provides an update about developments in digital delivery of legal services in British Columbia, Ontario, England, Wales, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the US, Australia, and the Netherlands. It discusses some of the issues digital delivery of public legal education and information (PLE) raises for governments, funders, providers and users, including digital divides. It builds […]

What Makes Court Forms Complex? Studying Empirical Support for a Functional Literacy Approach

This article describes an empirical study examining the complexity of court forms. The researchers obtained direct feedback from individuals without legal training who were attempting to complete a standard court form. The researchers conclude that “using a functional literacy approach, coupled with robust human testing, generates useful insights about court-form complexity that will facilitate the […]

Assisted Digital Support for Civil Justice System Users: Demand, Design, & Implementation

This report focuses on assisted digital support (ADS) – the process of assisting a person with lower digital capability to use a digital service. The report aims to build an understanding of the role that ADS services can play, as well as their limitations, to inform designers of online legal services. The report also addresses […]

Design for Justice: How Design and Technology can Help to Deliver Justice Better

This Australian report canvasses ways in which design principles and technology can be used to make the justice system work better. The authors recommend following several “design policies”, including: Build user-centred systems to deliver equitable solutions Make legal information easy to access and understand design data in a way that is open, transparent, and easy […]

Digital Delivery of Legal Services to People on Low Incomes 2017-18

This report provides an update about developments in digital delivery of legal services in British Columbia, Ontario, England, Wales, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the US, Australia, and the Netherlands. It discusses some of the issues digital delivery of public legal education and information (PLE) raises for governments, funders, providers and users, including digital divides. It builds […]

Preventing Digital Exclusion from Online Justice

This report addresses issues of digital exclusion in the United Kingdom context, where courts are increasingly relying on technology, including the eventual establishment of certain online courts and tribunals by 2020. This includes a plan for an “assisted digital service” that would strive to make sure that everyone can use the reformed justice system by […]

The Digital Divide: Access to digital technology for people in custody

This Australian report canvasses the level of technology available to people in Australia. Western Australia’s Inspector of Custodial Services views technology for inmates as an important component to eventual reintegration, as it provides enhanced opportunities for education and also improves people’s ability to stay in touch with friends and family. However, their review concludes that […]

“Better Justice” or Shambolic Justice?: Governments’ Use of Information Technology for Access to Law and Justice, and the Impact on Regional and Rural Legal Practitioners

This report canvasses whether, in an environment where governments are increasingly automating legal processes, practitioners who serve rural and remote locations can truly better serve their clients. The enquiry underlying the report received more than 330 submissions from courts, academics, community legal centres, and key legal institutions and learned about the advantages and disadvantages to […]