By: Kara Powell

“More than 1 in 3 women . . . and more than 1 in 4 men . . . in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime[s].”[1] Domestic violence protective orders forbid a perpetrator from performing specific actions that are threating, injuring, or harassing to victims.[2] Protective orders can also include, but are not limited to: financial support orders, court guidance regarding child visitation and custody, and physical distance orders.[3] However, the legal system can be difficult for domestic violence victims to access and navigate.[4]

HelpSelf Legal,[5] which was released in December 2017,[6] is an AI-assisted online platform that provides software services to legal aid associations.[7] Specifically, HelpSelf Legal currently assists individuals prepare and file domestic violence protective orders in California.[8] HelpSelf Legal is improving access to justice for domestic violence survivors, particularly those lacking financial resources. For just fifteen dollars, “[t]he program walks users through a series of questions designed to gather information about which court the document will be filed in, the person against whom the restraining order is sought, the nature of the abuse and whether the user wants to request support.”[9] The questions are lay-person friendly so every individual can use and understand the system.[10]

After the user completes the questions, all the necessary documents are automatically generated.[11] The user reviews and double-checks the information on each document, and then either files the documents on their own or submits the documents to the courts electronically through HelpSelf Legal.[12] The system is similar to the tax preparation software TurboTax.[13] Because the user does not have to physically bring the forms to the appropriate court, this may allow more domestic violence victims to file for protective orders.

HelpSelf Legal was created by Dorna Moini, who had pro bono experience during her time with big law.[14] She created HelpSelf Legal to assist low-income domestic violence survivors access legal assistance.[15] She noticed the disparity between the technology available to pro bono clients and the technology available to law firm clients, and wanted to decrease the gap.[16] Currently, the platform only serves California, “but Moini hopes later to expand into other states.”[17] Wyoming may be the next state to use the HelpSelf Legal software to create domestic violence tools.[18]

HelpSelf Legal works with shelters and legal aid organizations who assist the clients after they have completed the online protective order process.[19] The fifteen dollars domestic violence survivors pay on the front-end goes along way with all the resources HelpSelf Legal is providing and coordinating.

 

[1] Michele C. Black et al., The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2011), https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf.

[2] See How to Get a Personal Protection Order, domesticshelters.org (July 1, 2014), https://www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-articles-information/faq/how-to-get-a-personal-protection-order.

[3] See Robert Ambrogi, Startup Launching Today Provides Automated Legal Help to Those with Low and Moderate Incomes, Starting with Domestic Violence, LawSites (Dec. 13, 2017), https://www.lawsitesblog.com/2017/12/startup-launching-today-provides-automated-legal-help-low-moderate-incomes-starting-domestic-violence.html.

[4] See id.

[5] HelpSelf Legal, https://www.helpselflegal.com/domestic-violence (last visited Oct. 22, 2018).

[6] See Ambrogi, supra note 3.

[7] See e-mail from Dorna Moini (Sept. 25, 2018, 12:05 PM) (on file with author).

[8] John Biggs, HelpSelf Uses Simple AI to Help Those in Legal Trouble, TechCrunch (Apr. 12, 2018), https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/12/helpself-uses-simple-ai-to-help-those-in-legal-trouble/.

[9] Tyler Roberts, Statesman of the Month: Dorna Moini, National Jurist (Jan. 8, 2018), http://nationaljurist.com/smartlawyer/statesman-month-dorna-moini.

[10] See Mary E. Juetten, Access to Justice Through Technology for 2018, Above the Law (Dec. 19, 2017, 3:59 PM), https://abovethelaw.com/2017/12/access-to-justice-through-technology-for-2018/.

[11] See id.

[12] Id.

[13] See Biggs, supra note 6.

[14] See id.

[15] See Ambrogi, supra note 3.

[16] See Biggs, supra note 6.

[17] Id.

[18] See e-mail from Dorna Moini (Sept. 25, 2018, 12:05 PM) (on file with author).

[19] See id.

Image Source:  https://www.shouselaw.com/colorado/domestic_violence/CO_permanent_protective_order.html