LIA

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) has launched LANC-LIA (Legal Information Assistant), a virtual assistant integrated into its public website, legalaidnc.org, as part of its broader Innovation Lab initiative. Pronounced “Leah,” the assistant was developed in collaboration with LawDroid and with input from Vanderbilt Law School’s AI Law Lab (VAILL). The project seeks to expand access to legal information for the public, particularly underserved North Carolinians, by automating routine informational responses and helping users navigate self-help resources.

LANC-LIA is designed to assist with general civil legal questions in high-demand areas such as domestic violence, child custody, housing, and consumer law. It uses natural language processing models, including GPT-4 and BERT, to interpret user questions and return multilingual answers. LANC-LIA also routes users to appropriate resources and self-help tools when relevant. It does not provide legal advice.

The tool was tested with a diverse group of users—including clients, attorneys, and law students—to evaluate both accessibility and informational accuracy before public deployment. The assistant is part of a broader strategy by LANC’s Innovation Lab to improve service delivery through human-centered and technology-assisted models, including remote access initiatives, mobile legal units, and document automation tools.

The Innovation Lab was established in response to unmet civil legal needs in North Carolina, where only one legal aid attorney serves approximately every 8,000 eligible residents. LANC-LIA is intended to reduce barriers to information, reduce strain on intake systems, and offer immediate, reliable guidance for users navigating common legal problems.

The system automates frequently asked questions and provides self-service options for simpler legal matters, aiming to streamline the client experience while freeing staff time for more complex or urgent needs. By integrating AI tools with LANC’s service infrastructure, the Innovation Lab is exploring scalable, ethical, and cost-efficient methods to reduce the justice gap.

LANC-LIA is publicly available through the LANC homepage:
https://www.legalaidnc.org

LANC emphasizes that LANC-LIA does not offer legal advice and should be used as an informational resource. Users are advised to consult an attorney for specific legal questions.