DURHAM — Four early-stage legal technology companies with a core mission of expanding access to legal services have been selected to participate in Duke Law Tech Lab‘s summer 2020 pre-accelerator program.

They include:

  • Don’t Get Mad Get Paid – Helps women get paid their back child support and collect what’s rightfully theirs by tracking down child support evaders and generating customized legal documents
  • JusticeText – Strengthens the ability of public defenders to serve low-income criminal defendants through video evidence management software that leverages AI to process body-worn camera footage, interrogation videos, and more
  • People Clerk – Guides California litigants throughout the small claims process giving them the tools to prepare, settle, and litigate their dispute.
  • Yo Tengo Bot – Automates the interaction between immigration law firms and potential clients through a white label chatbot powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning (available in both English and Spanish).

Each received an initial $1,000 grant and will have the opportunity to showcase their product and compete for additional prize money at the program’s culmination, a virtual Demo Day.

“Each of these teams represents important opportunities for technological innovation in law,” said Jeff Ward, Associate Dean for Technology & Innovation at Duke Law and Director of the Duke Center on Law & Technology, in a statement. “Even more, though, each of these founders represents the right attitude. Law can do better. Law must do better. And these are the visionaries who will help get us there.”

Now in its fourth year, Duke Law Tech Lab offers four startups opportunities to expand their networks, learn to navigate the legal tech environment, and move their business plans forward via mentoring, online resources, and weekly live remote presentations by legal tech leaders, subject matter experts, and key industry players.

“The Duke Law Tech Lab has supported innovative companies each year, but this year seems to offer a special opportunity,” Ward added. “The world is more ready for change than ever. Traditional modes of conducting business have been disrupted and put on pause, and people—even lawyers—are more open to imagining new approaches. It’s my hope that momentum continues to build toward using new technologies, new service models, and even modernized regulatory approaches to improve access to justice.”

The Duke Law Tech Lab, which began on June 24 and runs for three months, is supported by sponsors LexisNexis, Travelers, and the global law firm Latham & Watkins.