If the access-to-justice crisis could be solved by hiring more attorneys, we would have solved it by now. The reality is harder: there will never be enough lawyers, at scale, at price points people can afford, and in the right places at the right times, to meet the volume of everyday civil legal needs in our communities.
The data is stark. Legal Services Corporation’s Justice Gap findings show that low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems. That number reflects more than a shortage of representation. It points to a structural mismatch between the demand for help and the capacity of traditional service delivery models.
The “in-between” group is growing
Even beyond the LSC-eligible population, many working individuals and families earn too much to qualify for civil legal aid but still cannot afford a lawyer. They are the “in-between” group, often navigating evictions, debt, family instability, benefits issues, consumer scams, and other life-disrupting legal problems with limited support. This is where law libraries see the human impact every day: people trying to understand forms, deadlines, options, and consequences, often under stress and without guidance.
Justice tech is an emerging ecosystem built for scale
Justice tech entrepreneurs are building tools and services designed to help people resolve everyday legal problems more efficiently and with clearer pathways to trustworthy information and next steps. The key question is not whether technology will play a role, it already is, but how public institutions can work with it responsibly and effectively.
Two resources help make this ecosystem visible:
The Global Justice Tech Map, led by the Justice Technology Association, is a visualization of organizations using technology to expand access to justice. It helps communities see what exists, where it exists, and where gaps remain.
The Justice Tech Directory, published through LSNTAP, offers a curated view of justice tech companies and tools aimed at helping communities navigate the justice system. It is useful for legal aid organizations, courts, and partners looking for promising options.
These resources matter because “random apps” are not the answer. The future of access-to-justice technology must be mission-aligned, consumer-protective, and designed with real user needs in mind.
Legal aid AI assistants are a promising, responsible use case
One of the most practical justice tech applications gaining traction is the legal aid AI assistant, tools designed to provide reliable legal information, triage, referrals, and guided next steps in plain language. When built with appropriate guardrails such as transparency, privacy, accuracy checks, and clear limits, these assistants can help organizations scale legal information and navigation support while reserving staff time for complex cases and direct representation.
These tools are not substitutes for legal advice. Still, they can be powerful front doors that help people find the right information faster, reduce confusion, and connect to the next best step.
Where law libraries fit: trusted infrastructure for the public
Law libraries are already in this work, meeting people where they are, offering legal information, teaching navigation skills, and partnering across the justice community. Justice tech adds a new dimension. Libraries can become trusted access points where residents learn about reputable tools and how to use them.
Here are a few practical roles libraries can play:
Curate and translate: Identify mission-aligned tools, using resources like the Global Justice Tech Map and Justice Tech Directory, then translate them into clear, patron-friendly pathways.
Bridge-building: Connect justice tech builders with the real-world environments where people seek help, including libraries, courts, and community centers, so tools are designed for real users.
Responsible adoption: Champion guardrails, including privacy, clarity about “not legal advice,” accessibility, multilingual support, and referral protocols, so innovation does not outpace protection.
Feedback loops: Share what patrons struggle with most, ethically and in aggregate, to help improve usability, language, and design for the communities these tools are meant to serve.
Our focus at Hainsworth Law Library
At the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, we believe technology must be used in service of people, especially those navigating the justice system without a lawyer. We are watching the justice tech ecosystem closely, learning from promising models, and exploring how tools like the Global Justice Tech Map, the Justice Tech Directory, and legal aid AI assistants can support responsible collaboration that is community-centered and outcomes-driven.
We may never have enough attorneys to meet the scale of need. We can, however, build better infrastructure, including smarter pathways, clearer information, and trusted partnerships, to help more people reach safer, more informed legal outcomes.