Tech Solutions to Access Justice

RCJ Advice is here to advise and support vulnerable people who have a legal problem but can’t afford a lawyer. Cuts to legal aid and other sources of free legal advice, mean people need to represent themselves. We provide free legal advice to enable people to do this in a more informed and confident way. In order to maximise our resources, in a world where accessing free legal advice is challenging, we develop online tech solutions to help more people.

CourtNav

In collaboration with Freshfields LLP, RCJ Advice developed an innovative legal tool to ensure the most vulnerable people have access to justice. The CourtNav platform helps people experiencing domestic abuse complete complicated court documents. CourtNav is an online ‘decision-tree’ tool that uses a simple question-and-answer interface to advise people on relevant court rules, and to automatically complete court forms and documents.

Unique and pioneering 
Freshfields Head of Pro Bono, says, “To our knowledge, it was the first tool in the UK to use document assembly to prepopulate court forms, with content checked remotely by a lawyer.”

Initially developed as a divorce module, the CourtNav module allows people experiencing domestic abuse, or their support worker from frontline agencies, to make applications for emergency court orders – non-molestation and occupation orders – to protect them from domestic abuse.

Making a real difference to people’s lives
CourtNav makes the court process quicker and less stressful for vulnerable people, backed up by a team of legal professionals who can check and verify the form is ready to be submitted and more likely to then be approved.

CourtNav has allowed RCJ Advice’s to help many more people, using it’s face-to-face resources on those in most need. In the last 4 years, the platform has supported more than 41,000 applications.

Mark Allan, RCJ Advice Chief Executive says “Developed over many years, with the incredible support from Freshfields, CourtNav is a genuine service available free to survivors of domestic abuse across England & Wales to help them get emergency protection. It gives people, mainly women, an easier way to complete a complicated application, backed up by our team who will check the form and give free legal advice before they then submit the form. This means their application is more likely to succeed, so incredibly important during a period of great difficulty.”

Wider Access to Family Law

RCJ Advice currently provides free legal advice to people with family legal problems, delivered by a network of solicitors from firms who provide their time on a pro bono basis, and a small team of solicitors within RCJ Advice.

In order to help more people, in a climate where access free family legal advice is increasingly challenging, RCJ Advice is currently working in collaboration with Charles Russell Speechlys to develop an innovative online solution to guiding and triaging people who need free family legal advice, but can’t afford a lawyer. The new tool will guide people to the right legal solution, whilst providing access to free legal advice provided on a pro bono basis by a wide network of law firms.

For more information please contact our Chief Executive, Mark Allan, at feedback@rcjadvice.org.uk.