Suffolk University Law School and the American Arbitration Association launched an Online Dispute Resolution Innovation Clinic to provide an accessible, digital process for low-contest divorces and family law matters in Massachusetts.
Andrew Perlman, dean of Suffolk Law, said the clinic serves the community and prepare students to be forward-thinking legal professionals who can harness technology to solve real-world problems.
The initiative combines Suffolk Law’s expertise in legal technology and clinical education with the association’s leadership in alternative dispute resolution innovation, technology and artificial intelligence — including through its newly-acquired online dispute resolutions business, ODR.com.
The ODR Innovation Clinic targets a pressing issue in the legal system: the growing number of unrepresented litigants in family law cases that find it difficult to navigate complex court procedures, which often leads to rejected court filings, personal stress, case backlogs and strain on court resources.
The clinic plans to develop and deploy a suite of user-friendly digital tools, including an intuitive ODR platform for divorces and related matters, interactive guided interviews and “smart” court forms, a virtual mediation component and AI-powered guidance for the public.
The ODR Innovation Clinic is set to run for three years, with plans to beta test and launch the new platform in Massachusetts. The framework developed has the potential for replication in other jurisdictions and could be adapted for legal issues beyond family law. Suffolk Law is consistently recognized as a national leader in legal technology education, with its award-winning Legal Innovation & Technology Lab (LIT Lab) driving access to justice through tech-enabled solutions.
