Case Study - [SAFE.] document generation

Overview

Domestic violence is a serious problem, and the numbers can be staggering. Globally, around a third of women face physical violence, sexual violence (or both) in their lifetime, according to the UN. This includes only the most serious forms of violence, and the actual number is likely much higher.

While working on a document automation platform for legal professionals, we realized we didn't just want to build any MVP. We wanted to use our work to help those who need it most. Happily, our partners at LexIQ felt the same way.

This problem is one where technology can have a real impact. Victims of domestic violence are often in a vulnerable position and may not have the resources to access legal help. Legal professionals working in this area are often overworked and under-resourced. Helping them both with the first steps of the process can make a real difference.

We partnered with legal experts and leveraged our technology to launch [SAFE.], a free platform that empowers victims of domestic abuse by automating the process of preparing essential legal documents needed to file for protection with the court. It doesn't replace legal advice, but frees up time for legal professionals to focus on the core of the case.

The platform that powers [SAFE.] works by converting complex document sequences into machine readable schema and then dynamically generating convenient input forms for users. The forms are both front-end and back-end validated to ensure the information is correct and reduce errors. Our backend runs static analysis on the documents to disambiguate data and ensure users only fill in the information that is necessary, and produces conditional forms that adapt to the user's input, showing and hiding questions as necessary.

The backend supports multiple inputs, including through a front-end form, via API, or by a natural language interface.

The platform then uses the validated information to generate the multiple necessary legal documents, which can be downloaded and, in this incarnation, filed with the court. Stay tuned for more updates on this project.

What we did