Free Law Project at ITC: Tech, Access to Justice, and Big Ideas
In January, the Free Law Project team had an exciting time at the Legal Services Corporation’s Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC).
This annual event brings together legal professionals, technologists, and advocates from across the country to explore how technology can improve access to justice. The energy was inspiring, and our team left feeling motivated about the future of legal tech.
Key Conference Moments
ITC is a special event where legal aid attorneys, court staff, and tech innovators come together to solve real-world legal problems. This year’s topics ranged from artificial intelligence and ethics to designing easy-to-use tools for people representing themselves in court. The discussions made one thing clear: technology has the power to bridge the justice gap.
Free Law Project’s Presentations
Our team was proud to share our work through two engaging sessions:
Making E-Filing Easier for Everyone
Jessica Frank joined a panel on “E-Filing: Bridging the Gap Between Guided Interviews and Court Dockets.” Self-represented litigants (SRLs) often struggle with complex court forms and confusing filing systems. Digital guided interviews help self-represented litigants successfully assemble complex court forms. Connecting those interviews to e-filing helps SRLs navigate courts’ complex filing and service procedures, too. Together, they help make courts more accessible to everyone.
Jessica’s co-panelists included:
- Sam Glover (Suffolk University Legal Innovation & Technology Lab)
- Sarah Song (Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Access to Justice Division)
- Vivian McNaughton (Illinois Legal Aid Online)
Together, they highlighted how legal aid organizations, courts, non-profits, and universities are teaming up to create smoother, user-friendly e-filing experiences. (See earlier blog posts about our ongoing e-filing efforts here and here.)
Free Tech Tools for Legal Advocates
Jenifer Whiston presented “Closing the Justice Gap with Technology: Discover Free Tech Tools to Support Advocates and Pro Bono Volunteers.” This session showed how free legal tech tools can save time, improve research, and help lawyers provide better support—especially for pro bono attorneys and legal aid teams with limited resources.
Her co-panelists included:
- Mallory Gibson (Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York)
- Kara Peterson (descrybe.ai)
They explored how tools like CourtListener and descrybe.ai make legal research more accessible. Jenifer explained how Free Law Project is disrupting the legal research space by offering free, powerful tools that level the playing field. Kara shared how her company uses Free Law Project’s data to create AI-powered case law summaries, making legal research faster and easier.
AI, Courts, and the Future of Justice
After ITC, Michael Lissner spoke at Arizona State University’s “Access to Justice and AI” conference, discussing the challenges and opportunities of AI regulation in the legal system. His panel sparked a lively debate about how court rules and corporate policies shape the future of AI in law.
What We Learned
The biggest takeaway from ITC? Collaboration is key. Legal tech works best when technologists, legal professionals, and nonprofit groups join forces. No single group can solve the access to justice crisis alone.
Another important theme: designing with real users in mind. Many sessions stressed the importance of creating legal tech that is not just innovative, but also practical and accessible for the communities that need it most.
Looking Ahead
ITC reinforced what we already believed: technology has a huge role to play in shaping the future of legal access. The insights and connections we gained will help guide our work moving forward, and we’re excited to keep pushing for a more just and accessible legal system.
Check out Bob Ambrogi’s conference coverage, including a photo from Jessica’s panel: LawSites Blog!
