Family law in Ontario is still ripe for disruption. In 2013, Dr. Julie MacFarlane of the University of Windsor Law School released a study which showed that in family law Ontario courts, 64% of family law litigants were self-represented. The data also showed that only 10% of the self-represented litigants were confident in their ability to self-represent. A copy of the study can be found here.
Self-represented litigants are without a doubt a large part of our court system. The problem is that they are unfamiliar with the rules of courts, family law cases, and many issues related to family law. All of this is not their fault.
The bigger question becomes: what do we as lawyers do about the situation? We do not represent them in court, and in fact may be up against them. What do judges do when the current norm is that one person before them will have no legal training?
The solutions currently out there have ranged widely. There are projects focused on education and help guides. There are also lawyers offering unbundled services (this just means they don't help you with your entire case to make the cost manageable) who are looking to coach, advise, educate, and help people with guides on how to address their family law issues.
Today, I’m looking at using a chat bot system, leveraging AI, to provide legal information. AI technology, such as Api.ai and Wit.ai - owned by Google and Facebook respectively, has become widely available for public use. These technologies were created to simplify and encourage the use of AI tech.
Motion.ai makes it even simpler to allow for non-programmers to create chat bots. I’ve looked at this solution as an innovative tool for family law information and help. Motion.ai is a technology that lawyers can use (since most do not have a tech background) to create a widely accessible tool for anyone who has access to a computer or cell phone because it can integrate with sms, different messengers, and even email. It's great because it can be accessed from pretty much anywhere.
The solution below is a simple example of a web chat bot that gives family law information on divorce and separation. It's a work in progress and not complete in terms of family law information. Note: If it does not work, it's likely because my 1000 free messages have been used up.