Quality, accessible legal care is a fundamental right.
Reliable access to quality legal services should be as fundamental a right as reliable access to healthcare, yet this ideal is far from our current reality.
The discourse on this matter has predominantly centered on those at the lowest income levels, and for good reason: More than 92% of legal issues faced by low-income Americans did not receive any or enough access to legal services. To put that in perspective, it would require every attorney in the U.S. to dedicate 1800 hours of pro bono work to bridge this access gap. But the problem of restricted access to legalcare isn’t confined to just the lowest income brackets. It’s a pervasive middle-class problem, too. With the average hourly rate for attorneys now hovering over $400/hour in major cities, everyday legal assistance remains financially out of reach for the majority. This broken market is our reality.
For those who can neither afford the industry’s steep hourly rates nor qualify for legal aid (typically reserved for those earning less than 125% of the federal poverty line, roughly $15,000 per year), seeking legal assistance is often deferred until something goes terribly wrong. Most of us don’t even consider tapping the services of an hourly attorney unless there’s an emergency that requires it - a job loss, an eviction, a death, a divorce. But it’s not just these unfortunate events that require legal attention. In fact, people are generally more protected in these critical moments when they access legal services ahead of time.
Preventative legal services.
Imagine the possibilities if affordable, high-quality legal advice were easily accessible as individuals navigated their lives. Imagine if everyone could readily obtain expert counsel as they navigate employment, housing, health, or family decisions. If, instead of scouring the internet for SEO-optimized advice or attempting to DIY our own contracts, we could pay a reasonable price for quality legal assistance when we need it, and receive it online just like any other digital service.
Much like preventative healthcare, regular access to legal services can help us identify and address issues before they escalate into more complex and costly problems. Reliable access to legal services is protective - it shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the very wealthy. It should be as much of a right as reliable access to affordable healthcare. It’s a moral imperative. Increased availability of legal services will help individuals protect their assets, ensure their own financial stability, and secure their family futures. Just as preventative healthcare helps identify and address medical issues before they escalate into more complex and costly problems, affordable legal services empower individuals to mitigate legal risks, proactively plan for their future, and protect their rights. It doesn’t just act as a shield against unforeseen crises - it fosters the long-term well-being that each and every one of us deserves.
When people can readily afford preventative legal services, they will use them. And this is good for business - affordable productized legal services can increase the number of touchpoints for the average legal client and massively increase the lifetime value of those customers to the attorneys and firms that serve them. Automation technology empowers attorneys to make legal services more efficient, accessible, and affordable.
Productization is the future of legalcare.
Fortunately, automation will lead to a fundamental shift in the way legal services are delivered and experienced over the next decade. By 2033, 90% of legal services will be delivered online. That’s very good news for the majority of Americans who cannot afford high hourly rates but do not qualify for legal aid.
The emergence of automation technology has opened the door to a transformative new concept: productizing the law. Today’s attorneys and law firms are using Gavel’s automation technology to offer legal services in more accessible and affordable ways. This allows them to serve more clients without clocking more hours, and contribute to expanding access to quality legal services for middle-income earners.
Automation gives attorneys control over how they market and package their services. For example, an attorney could bundle up the documents and actions necessary for a no-fault divorce into a convenient, flat-fee, online process that enables clients to get divorced from home without stepping foot into a law office. That’s exactly what Gavel customers like Unmarry and Rentervention have done for thousands of people - including those with minor children and shared property. That’s the beauty of applying automation technology to the law - it simplifies any level of complexity into easy, collaborative workflows. With Gavel’s automation technology, lawyers can take templates and PDF court forms and turn them into automated legal products.
While certain legal matters will always remain bespoke - such as high-stakes negotiations or criminal defense - the productization of common legal services will increase quality, accessibility, and affordability. Automation solutions will streamline processes, reduce errors, enhance outcomes, and leverage the expertise of legal professionals to markedly improve the quality of legal services made available to most middle-income consumers.
Dorna Moini is the CEO and founder of Gavel (www.gavel.io), a no-code and AI-enabled platform for building document automation and client-facing legal products. Prior to starting Gavel, Dorna was a litigator at Sidley Austin. There, in her pro bono practice, she worked with legal aid organizations to build a web application for domestic violence survivors to complete and file their paperwork, which led to the idea for Gavel.
Dorna is on the Legal Services Corporation Emerging Leaders Council and a member of LAFLA's Advisory Board. She was named an ABA Legal Rebel and a Fastcase 50 honoree. She also teaches the Legal Innovations Lab at USC Law School.