Legal technologies can help alleviate the civil justice crisis and account for the psychology of scarcity with the help of human-centered design, a problem-solving technique that puts real people at the center of the design and development process.

For the past five years, i4J has been at the forefront of designing service models that leverage unauthorized practice of law (UPL) reform. i4J's work is part of a growing movement across the US to empower “community-based justice workers” or advocates at community-based organizations with the training and authorization to provide limited-scope legal advice in the course of their current work. This spring, i4J is expanding on this work to train 37 new community-based justice workers in Arizona: 28 Housing Stability Legal Advocates, 8 Domestic Violence Legal Advocates, and 1 cross-trained advocate.

ASSUMPTION: Only lawyers can give legal advice.

BUSTED: When we assume only lawyers can give legal advice, we leave many people, like survivors of domestic violence, with nothing. When we prioritize new and innovative service models—like UPL reform—we increase access to justice and connect more people to legal help.

Most survivors of domestic violence don’t have access to legal help.

In recent years, “trauma” and “trauma-informed” have become buzzwords across disciplines and professions, garnering the attention of academics, professionals, and practitioners. This has led to a variety of meanings and applications of trauma-informed practices in various industries. Emerging scholarship shows a desire and necessity for trauma-informed practices to be implemented within higher education settings, including law schools. i4J is committed to making sure that “trauma-informed” is not a buzzword, but is an intentional, action-based, responsive, and reflective practice within our classrooms and communities throughout our research and design processes.