JusticeHub: How Legal Aid of North Carolina Rebuilt Digital Access to Justice From the Ground Up

Civil legal problems rarely wait for business hours. An eviction notice can arrive on a weekend, a custody dispute may escalate after midnight, and a domestic violence survivor might seek help at the one moment they feel safe. For decades, the infrastructure meant to help low-income Americans navigate these crises relied on a model that was never designed for the realities of the people who needed it most. Limited hours, long hold times, confusing pathways, and overstretched staff meant the system often failed the very people it was meant to support.

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC), one of the largest civil legal aid organizations in the country, knew this model was leaving too many people without help. Each year, the organization receives roughly 300,000 calls from people seeking assistance, but only about 100,000 ever make it into the phone queue, and half of those callers abandon the call before reaching a person. The result is hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians in crisis with nowhere to turn.

JusticeHub, LANC’s newly launched online intake and client portal, was designed to change that. Mobile-friendly, always open, and human-centered, JusticeHub allows people to apply for help, check the status of an application, upload documents, access legal information, and receive guided assistance without waiting on hold or navigating bureaucratic complexity.

But JusticeHub is more than a website. It represents a fundamental rethinking of how people connect with civil legal help in a world where the demand for services far outpaces available resources. It reflects what can happen when legal aid organizations, technologists, and communities collaborate intentionally to redesign an essential public service.

To build the system, LANC partnered with A2J Tech PBC, a legal technology public benefit corporation known for its work with legal aid organizations and courts nationwide. “People often think intake is just an online form,” said Mauricio Duarte, A2J Tech’s COO and JusticeHub project lead. “But a successful intake system requires a guided, digestible, human experience. It is not just about collecting information; it is about breaking it down so people understand why they are being asked these questions.”

From the outset, both teams committed to human-centered design. Intake staff, community partners, clients, and even interns contributed insights. “Centering the human, client, and staff in every decision was essential,” said Scheree Gilchrist, LANC’s Chief Innovation Officer, who previously led the Central Intake Unit. “I came in with institutional knowledge from years in intake, but I never wanted that to override the process. We listened to everyone.”

The partnership was not without growing pains. Initially, too many decision-makers slowed progress, creating delays and unclear direction. Once LANC streamlined the team structure, both organizations found a shared rhythm. “This was not about a transactional vendor relationship,” Duarte said. “It was about solving a real problem.”

The underlying challenge was urgent. Intake staff spent significant time gathering basic eligibility information from people who ultimately did not qualify, while many callers tried multiple times before giving up entirely. LANC’s Innovation Lab began mapping the problem with three core priorities: improve the client experience, expand access, and increase intake efficiency. But as research and evaluations progressed, the team realized it was not just an intake issue. It was about how people contact the organization, which access points work best, and how services meet them where they are.

All signs pointed to an online solution, but not the kind that legal aid organizations have historically adopted. Many programs rely on long, static forms that overwhelm applicants. “People think intake is either an online form or a phone call,” Duarte said. “But intake should not be limited to those. It has to be a comprehensive experience. If you ask someone for sensitive information without breaking it down into small concepts and explaining why it is needed, they will not provide accurate information. Intake needs structure and guidance.”

JusticeHub was designed with this philosophy in mind. Most applicants complete the guided pathway in nine to thirteen minutes. The system breaks complex questions into steps that explain what is being asked and why, provides instant pre-screening results, allows secure document uploads, and integrates directly with LegalServer, LANC’s case management system. The platform also includes LIA, LANC’s AI-powered legal information assistant, which helps users navigate the portal and locate plain-language legal information. Because it is available around the clock, people can access it at the moment they feel safe or able to seek help.

JusticeHub also supports people who do not qualify for LANC’s services. Rather than receiving no answer, applicants receive curated resources, referrals, and guidance. “If people are not eligible, they still have alternatives,” Duarte explained. “They can interact with LIA or see legal resources Legal Aid has developed. They are not left without direction.”

Throughout the development process, LANC engaged community partners as co-designers of JusticeHub, not just end users. Partners participated in evaluation, feedback sessions, user testing, and pilot launches as part of a phased rollout strategy. Their insights directly shaped the platform’s design and functionality and were supported by a broader communications and change-management effort that included partner-specific toolkits, support guides, cheat sheets, and hands-on training. Today, these partners serve as trusted “boots on the ground,” helping residents navigate JusticeHub and apply for services. “Our partners are where people already go for help,” said Innovation Lab Program Manager Megan Hennings. “Testing and piloting with them shows us what actually works in the real world—on phones, in lobbies, and in moments of crisis when people need quick, clear support. JusticeHub helps us meet applicants where they are while giving partners low-lift tools to connect clients to help faster.”

At the same time, JusticeHub was developed through a rigorous, multi-phase testing and feedback process that centered both staff and client perspectives. Testing began with the development team and moved through compliance, legal, and privacy reviews, followed by user acceptance testing with intake staff, the Innovation Lab staff liaison committee, managing attorneys, and practice group managers. Client-centered testing was a defining feature of this approach, including review by the Client Council and controlled pilots in select LANC offices and community partner sites. Initial pilots focused on domestic violence shelters before expanding to broader legal services through LANC offices and the Wake Legal Support Center. This iterative process ensured JusticeHub was not only compliant and usable, but fully aligned with real-world workflows and the needs of the people it was designed to serve.

Early results indicate JusticeHub is fulfilling its mission. A recent analysis showed a 67 percent conversion rate from account creation to pre-screening completion. “When I see that high pre-screening number, I get excited,” Gilchrist said. “It is working. And the high number of people being screened out is a good thing. It means the right people are being funneled into intake and others are being redirected to better resources.”

JusticeHub has also transformed internal operations. Intake workers who once handled 25 to 35 phone calls per day can now review up to 100 digital applications. Structured submissions allow staff to evaluate ineligible applications in a minute or two, while full applications typically take eight to nine minutes. “That speaks to the quality of the applications and the level of service we are able to provide,” Gilchrist said.

One of the most compelling outcomes has been JusticeHub’s reach into rural communities. Early skeptics assumed rural residents would not use an online system due to connectivity barriers. Data quickly disproved that assumption. “Eighty-six counties out of 100 are represented so far, and most of them are rural,” Gilchrist said. “That tells us rural applicants are using it. It dispels the idea that tech solutions do not work in rural areas.”

JusticeHub launched during a statewide freeze on IOLTA funding, one of LANC’s major revenue sources. Instead of retreating, LANC invested in innovation through its Modernizing Access Initiative, supported by the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, the Legal Services Corporation, and NC IOLTA. The goal is to create more client-centered, efficient, and accessible pathways to justice.

The next phase of JusticeHub is already underway. Bidirectional communication is nearly complete, appointment scheduling is in development, and a fully Spanish-language version of the portal is a top priority. The team is also exploring deeper integration of native AI tools to summarize applications, support triage, and identify priority cases. “If you focus on AI before you deliver a good digital experience, the AI will not be compelling,” Duarte said. “JusticeHub now gives us a solid foundation for more advanced AI agents.”

LANC’s Innovation Lab also plans a formal evaluation of JusticeHub to share with the broader access-to-justice community. “When we create things, we want them evaluated and we want people to learn from them,” Gilchrist said. “It is part of the complete learning cycle.”

Ultimately, JusticeHub represents a shift in how people access justice, making it humane, accessible, and grounded in lived reality. “Getting legal help should not be another source of stress when someone is already facing a crisis,” Gilchrist said. “JusticeHub reflects what our communities told us they needed: a clearer, faster, more human way to connect with legal help.”

In a state where hundreds of thousands face civil legal challenges each year, JusticeHub marks a meaningful step toward a more responsive, accessible, and equitable system. It meets people where they are and keeps the door open whenever they need help.