By Cary Shepherd on 2026-07-14
Every year, millions of Americans face legal problems that shape their lives: an eviction, a denied benefit, a debt lawsuit, a custody dispute, an unfair ticket. Most of them face those problems alone.
The Numbers
The Legal Services Corporation's 2022 Justice Gap study found that about three-quarters of low-income households had experienced at least one civil legal problem in the prior year, and that low-income Americans got no legal help, or not enough, for 92 percent of their substantial civil legal problems.
The gap is not limited to the lowest incomes. Many working and middle-class families earn too much for free legal aid but cannot afford hundreds of dollars an hour for a private attorney. For a problem worth a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, hiring a lawyer the traditional way simply does not make financial sense.
Why Legal Help Costs So Much
Much of a lawyer's bill goes to work that is necessary but repetitive: gathering facts, reviewing documents, organizing evidence, and drafting standard letters and forms. In a traditional practice, every hour of that work is billed.
Three Ways to Close the Gap
- Limited-scope representation. Illinois allows lawyers to take on a defined part of a matter, such as drafting a document or handling one step, instead of the whole case. Clients pay only for the help they need.
- Flat, transparent fees. People are more willing to get help when they know the cost up front.
- Technology that does the repetitive work. AI can handle intake, read documents, and produce first drafts, so attorneys can spend their time on judgment, strategy, and review.
Putting It Into Practice
Our Chicago parking ticket service is a small example of what this model makes possible. A parking ticket is too small a matter for traditional representation. With AI handling intake and drafting, and an attorney reviewing and filing each contest, we can offer real legal representation for $10 per ticket, with no fee at all for strong cases the City rejects.
Parking tickets are just the start. The same approach can bring affordable, attorney-backed help to tenants, workers, consumers, and families facing the problems that matter most in their lives.
Access to justice should not depend on the size of your bank account. Technology, used responsibly, can help make sure it does not.