Talk Justice, an LSC Podcast: New Tech Trade Association Supports Innovation in Access to Justice
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Carl Rauscher
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WASHINGTON—Industry experts discuss the launch of the new Justice Technology Association on the of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast released today. Jason Tashea, a member of LSC’s Emerging Leaders Council, hosts the conversation with guests Maya Markovich, executive director of the Justice Technology Association and the justice tech executive in residence at Village Capital; Sonja Ebron, co-founder and CEO of Courtroom 5; and Kristen Sonday, co-founder of Paladin, partner at LongJump investment firm and co-chair of LSC’s Emerging Leaders Council.
The launched yesterday with a mission to build community, support and awareness around efforts to provide affordable, innovative and accessible solutions to everyday legal issues. The first of its kind in the United States, it will support leaders, businesses and initiatives that seek to shape the consumer legal experience for the greater good, drive social impact and increase access to justice. It will also grow, shape and formalize the newly minted justice tech market.
“There are plenty of legal tech organizations out there already, but we need to have one that focuses solely on justice tech—it's been an undefined and unclarified area and we need to help it flourish, specifically with a focus on direct-to-consumer technology,” Markovich says.
Securing funding through investors can be difficult in the justice tech industry for several reasons, explains Sonday. First, founders in the field are often women and people of color, who historically receive less funding. Additionally, the issue of access to justice is not one that investors can usually relate to, and they are more familiar with business models that pursue growth at all costs, without balancing the ethical complexities of promoting a social good.
“There aren’t a ton of companies that define themselves in the justice tech world who are getting funding and building these large companies that also have incredible impact,” says Sonday. “So, by joining forces, collaborating, sharing resources and raising awareness of what we’re working on, I think that we can establish ourselves more strongly as a new investable, VC-backable group that really helps accelerate justice tech development overall.”
The Justice Technology Association aims to be a resource for investors by educating them on market needs and raising the profiles of the entrepreneurs who are creating scalable solutions that both promote access to justice and promise return on investment.
“There need not be a fork in the road between impact and profit or growth,” says Ebron. “Our job as entrepreneurs is to narrow that gap, to do well by doing good.”
Talk Justice episodes are available and on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple and other popular podcast apps. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council. Future episodes of the podcast will feature an interview with White House Senior Advisor Gene Sperling and provide a look at how the pandemic has impacted pro bono legal services.