26 September 2023

New justice help app a chatter

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The Department of Communities and Justice is to support the development of a ‘chatbot’ to help vulnerable people solve their common legal problems.

Unveiled by Attorney General Mark Speakman, the chatbot is to be designed and built by the Marrickville Legal Centre, the first recipient of a grant from the Department’s new Access to Justice Innovation Fund.

“Utilising artificial intelligence, the chatbot will answer commonly asked legal questions online and in real time,” Mr Speakman said.

“It will triage enquiries so straightforward legal issues such as traffic fines or rental bond queries are addressed promptly, leaving more time for Community Legal Centre staff to personally assist clients with more complex problems.”

Mr Speakman said the Department planned for the chatbot to be made available to Community Legal Centres (CLCs) across the State after its Marrickville launch.

He said the Government had pledged $1 million over four years to the Fund and offered grants of up to $250,000 to encourage organisations to develop ideas aimed at improving the way legal problems were solved.

Managing Principal Solicitor of the Marrickville Legal Centre, Vasili Maroulis said the centre’s clients would be the biggest winners from the development of the chatbot, LegalBot.

LegalBot will reduce wait times for the hundreds of people who contact the Marrickville Legal Centre each week in need of assistance,” Mr Maroulis said.

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