Excerpt: 

"...Another example is civil legal aid. Even though people involved in civil cases can lose their apartments, their children and their jobs, the law does not guarantee them the services of a lawyer. In fact, it’s very difficult for low-income Americans to get one.

Many states are now considering laws that would make counsel a right in civil cases. Until that happens, we need other ways to get legal help to self-represented people.

Technology is coming to the rescue.

New online legal forms from groups like LawHelp Interactive allow people to fill out forms without having to understand the law. The software interviews them with plain-English questions, and then completes the forms in the language required by the court..."

Read the rest of this year's "Big Ideas" here.