In an era where the intersection of law and technology is both inevitable and essential for justice equity, JTA proudly recognizes the Black members of our advisory and organizational boards.

Sonja Ebron

Sonja Ebron is one of the founding members of JTA, an incredibly accomplished CEO, a college professor with a PhD in electrical engineering, and an advisor to numerous nonprofit organizations, including IAALS (Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System) and Legal Aid of NC’s Innovation Lab.

As CEO of Courtroom5, Sonja has made it her mission to empower individuals to represent themselves effectively in legal matters. Courtroom5 provides clients with access to legal data, document templates, case law insights, and analyses of proposed claims and defenses. Since its founding, Courtroom5 has helped thousands navigate legal challenges.

In recognition of her groundbreaking work, Sonja and co-founder Debra Slone were named “Legal Rebels” by the American Bar Association in 2023.

In 2024, Sonja was honored as part of the Women of Legal Tech initiative by the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center, an award that celebrates her significant contributions to legal tech and her dedication to improving access to justice. She currently serves on the Leaders Council of the Legal Services Corporation, the nation’s primary funding source for legal aid programs.

Miguel Willis

Justice tech leaders like Miguel Willis are using their platform to address disparities head-on. Miguel Willis is the Executive Director of Access to Justice Tech Fellows (A2J Tech Fellows), a national nonprofit that creates summer fellowships for law students focused on using technology to improve legal access for low-income and marginalized communities.

Willis previously worked with the City of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs, where he helped launch a web portal to assist immigrants in navigating legal pathways to citizenship, as well as with the Alaska Court System, where he developed its Justice for All Project. His efforts have earned him recognition by the American Bar Association as a 2018 Legal Rebel and a 2019 Fastcase 50 honoree.

Today, Willis continues to lead the charge for systemic change, sitting on boards that influence the future of justice tech, including the Legal Services Corporation’s Emerging Leaders Council and the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Innovation for Justice (i4J) program. He currently teaches a course in Law, Technology, and Access to Justice, and serves as an Innovator in Residence at Penn Carey Law.

Nicole Morris

Nicole Morris’ work directly impacts the next generation of justice tech leaders. As a professor at Emory University School of Law and director of the TI:GER program, Morris guides law students in collaboration with tech innovators to transform promising research into commercially viable products. Her work is a powerful example of how legal education can evolve to incorporate technological solutions to the justice system’s most pressing issues. In collaboration with the Department of Energy’s National Labs, her students analyze the commercial potential of new technologies, turning them into tangible resources that have the power to revolutionize the legal field. Through her published work, Morris is also actively shaping the conversation around ethical technology governance within the legal space.

Marcus Glover

Marcus Glover is committed to reimagining equity for Black America, investing in and advising Black and women-led companies that are often overlooked, underfunded, and underserved. As co-founder and Managing Director of Lockstep Ventures, a VC firm that seeks to address issues that perpetuate racial inequality, he has turned his passion into meaningful progress.

Marcus also serves on the national board of directors of Defy Ventures, which advocates for criminal justice reform and lowering recidivism by building on incarcerated men and women’s natural talents through entrepreneurship and business ownership. He is a proud member of the Time@100 Advisory Board.

Nyra Jordan

Nyra Jordan is the Associate Vice President of Community & Social Impact at American Family Insurance, where she leads strategic partnerships with enterprises dedicated to creating resilient communities in response to environmental and social inequities. In this role, Nyra champions the work of experts, community partners, and founders who are pioneering people-centered solutions for individuals affected by the justice system.

Nyra has delivered impactful TED Talks on “Fair Chance Hiring” and continues to champion equal opportunities for all job seekers. With degrees in Mass Communication, Criminal Justice Administration, and Social Innovation and Sustainability Leadership, Nyra’s academic and professional accomplishments are a testament to her commitment to social good.

In Closing

From navigating the complexities of the legal system to combating systemic racial biases, these JTA advisors are harnessing the power of technology for systemic change and actively building a more equitable tomorrow. We are proud that they have chosen to support the JTA mission.

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As we celebrate Bay Area Legal Services’ achievement, we’re also proud to have been recognized as a finalist for our substantial contributions to the field of justice technology. The JTA has established itself as a voice for people-centric tech solutions aimed at closing the justice gap, underscoring the critical role of technology in democratizing access to legal resources. With 92% of Americans facing civil legal issues without adequate assistance in 2022, JTA’s  work in rallying entrepreneurs and tech solutions towards public good is essential.

The InnovAction Awards shine a light on the transformative power of technology and innovation in addressing systemic challenges within the legal system. The recognition of the Justice Technology Association as a finalist underscores the significant impact of our efforts and the ongoing need for collaborative, innovative solutions to ensure equitable access to justice for all.

Discover the finalists and the winner of the InnovAction Awards by clicking here for detailed profiles and innovative contributions.

The post 2024 InnovAction Winner & Finalists first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

Launched on 2/22/2022, JTA has fundamentally changed the dialogue on technology and access to justice, and established ourselves as the hub of an expanding ecosystem connecting entrepreneurs, top reform advocates, academic innovators, judiciary, policy experts, and investors. Our 50+ members demonstrate the concrete value we provide to the community we’re building. It’s striking to reflect on what we’ve achieved to date with limited resources, and it shows that we’re the right group, in the right place, at the right time to coalesce this meaningful and nascent sector.

We are overwhelmed by inbound interest from organizations to grow awareness of the unique opportunities justice tech represents, and with it, significant possibility to support underrepresented entrepreneurs and narrow the justice gap for the billions of people who cannot currently access their rights, but we need to expand bandwidth to capitalize on these opportunities.

We would deeply appreciate your support for our birthday present! 

JTA offers a number of tax-deductible paths for support for mission-aligned organizations, law firms, investors, or individuals that include public recognition and a range of additional benefits. We’re honored to be working together to further this critical work!

The post Happy Birthday, JTA! first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

The Innovation Lab’s advisory board includes several core members of the JTA ecosystem,  including executive director Maya Markovich, along with  Courtroom5 CEO Sonja Ebron, JTA advisors Caitlin Moon, Jeff Kelly, and Natalie Knowlton, among others.

This transformative initiative brings together community partners, law schools, and justice tech experts. Stay tuned as this dynamic group collaborates to integrate technology and design into legal services, bridging the justice gap in innovative ways.

The post Unlocking Justice: North Carolina’s Legal Aid Innovation Lab first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

As showcased in the Law.com article “Legal Tech’s Milestones for New(er) Technologies, Innovating for Good & More in 2023,” the JTA’s contributions in driving advancement have redefined the justice technology space.  JTA members played a pivotal role in harnessing these technologies to improve access to justice, reflecting a deep-seated commitment within the legal sector to use innovation for societal benefit. The JTA made significant strides in the justice tech sector, focusing on technology that narrows the access to justice gap. Initiatives like the first social impact legal tech accelerator with UC Law SF and community events with Village Capital and AmFam Institute helped support early-stage justice tech founders. Additionally, collaborations, such as the one with ProBonoNet, helped map out trends and opportunities in justice tech. This article explores the key achievements of 2023, underlining how they are reshaping the legal domain and contributing to a more just and equitable system.

To learn more about the new milestones of legal tech as well as how the JTA has left its impact, read the full article at Law.com.

The post AALM: 2023 Legal Technology Milestones first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

LexLab partnered with JTA, as well as our strategic partners Village Capital and Gener8tor, to orchestrate a transformative 10-week startup accelerator program. This initiative ended with Demo Day, an annual business pitching competition hosted by LexLab at UC Law San Francisco on November 14, 2023. With the outstanding cohort of justice tech startups showcasing their pioneering solutions, Demo Day marked an exciting milestone for the program participants on their journey to increase access to affordable legal services.

Maya Markovich’s contribution as an expert judge, alongside other investors from NVentures and Olga Mack from LexisNexis, highlights the justice tech sector’s growing momentum and impact in promoting access to affordable legal services at the dynamic intersection of law, technology, and innovation.

Read more details about the LexLab justice tech cohort, competition, and winners.

The post Justice Tech Startups Take Center Stage at LexLab’s Demo Day first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

In a world where AI is reshaping the landscape, regulatory hurdles have long stifled innovation. Unauthorized practice of law and fee-sharing rules can hinder the scaling of alternate paths to justice equity by prohibiting non-lawyer investment and restricting legal work to law firms. The writer here epitomizes how tech innovators like Hello Divorce founder Erin Levine are challenging legal industry norms, and some states leading the charge in regulatory reform, these changes are fueling a wave of disruptive innovation.

The full article covering regulatory changes is here.

The post Unlocking the Future of Legal Services: A Sneak Peek into Legal Innovation first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

Founder of Hello Divorce, Erin Levine has stated that she has encountered many unauthorized practice of law issues while building her company, however, she believes “the power of new technology stakeholders stemming from the hype and reality of artificial intelligence is likely to shift Rule 5.4 and unauthorized practice of law.” The innovative Hello Divorce approach not only highlights the significant challenges but also the vast opportunities in harnessing technology to democratize legal assistance. With the evolving regulatory landscape, Hello Divorce’s efforts underscore the vast potential of technology to fundamentally alter the delivery of legal services, paving the way for a future where legal access is more equitable and inclusive.

For a comprehensive understanding of these developments, the original Bloomberg Law article provides detailed insights.

The post Bloomberg: Hello Divorce first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

NOV 18 2023

UPL and Deregulation of Legal Services

The post UPL and Deregulation of Legal Services first appeared on Justice Tech Association.

Bringing broad experience backing diverse entrepreneurs and building solutions for global justice challenges, these two powerhouses are combining their efforts toward a common goal: driving meaningful change through technology. Together they aim to support justice tech startups and help entrepreneurs build equity and prosperity through funding, resources, and events, like Community Convenings, and LexLab’s justice tech accelerator program.

To learn more about this alliance, click here.

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