‘Relatively simple issues quickly become overwhelming without the right information and support. The consequences of this can wreck lives and families,’ says Dr Simon Davey of the Jeanie Project.
Like CrowdJustice, the Jeanie Project is about helping people access the legal system that might not otherwise be able to.
The basic premise is this: pro bono lawyers spend a significant amount of the hours they can work for free simply gathering information and documents. The founders of the Jeanie Project saw an opportunity: wouldn’t it be easier if there was technology that enabled community organisations already working with clients to gather that information in advance of lawyer meetings?
Enter, The Jeanie Project. It was developed in response to legal aid cuts and ‘overwhelmed’ Pro-Bono lawyers that have left the justice system inaccessible to the most vulnerable people - those who are most likely to benefit from it.
The Jeanie Project crowdfunded for a pilot. They will give frontline workers access to the groundbreaking technology KIM (Knowledge, Intelligence, Meaning), provided free under licence by Riverviewlaw, to package up relevant information for lawyers. They will start by providing KIM as an app to Tower Hamlets charity Toynbee Hall, then eventually to food banks and the like nationwide.
‘Through the technology of simple-to-use online information and tools, we can equip hundreds of groups in the hearts of local communities to provide advice, information and connections to lawyers; simply, effectively, for free’, says Davey.