Chatbot Opens Up 1,000 Practice Areas
If you don't know who Joshua Browder is, you might want to check out his new chatbot now.
Browder, a 20-year-old Stanford student and legal innovator, is changing the way the law works. He created a chatbot -- an interactive program that answers questions in real time -- that has beaten 375,000 parking tickets. For free.
Now his bot, DoNotPay, is opening up 1,000 legal areas. That might trouble some lawyers, but Browder is also offering the program to attorneys.
Lawyers Can Bot, Too
Calling the world "such an unfair place," Browder created his legal bot to help people deal with some of that. He started with parking tickets, then expanded to immigration problems.
The legal industry has been part of the problem, he said. Medium, which is launching Browder's newest chatbot, says they are planning to fix it with everybody's help.
"We realized no great work is done alone," the website announced."Starting today, DoNotPay is opening up so that anyone can create legal bots for free."
The site is open to lawyers, activists, students, charities -- anyone with a legal question. All they have to do is fill out a form and submit it for a proposed chatbot; the company will respond within 24 hours.
Automating Documents
The company will create documents for the automated responses, but says the chatbox creators will own them.
"You can use your bot to save money within your business, provide a better experience to clients or improve access to justice," the company says.
Ars Technica reported that IBM has offered its Watson technology to Browder for free to help users though natural language. He is focused on getting more users for now, the news site reported.
Related Resources:
- Chatbot Apps Help Users Communicate Their Legal Needs (ABA Journal)
- New Chatbot Helps Refugees (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Law Firm Creates 'Virtual Hub' for New Partners (FindLaw's Technologist)