More than 80 percent of Utahans who are sued for unpaid debts never respond to the lawsuit and lose their case automatically, even if the lawsuit itself was frivolous or inaccurate. BYU's Law X class created free software (available at solosuit.com) that allows an individual to submit a formal, legal response to the lawsuit within the required 21 days, without the assistance of a lawyer. Cami Schiel, a 2017 BYU Law graduate who helped develop SoloSuit says the program is easy to use, much likeTurboTax, and was designed for individuals with no legal experience. The program takes the user-inputted information and generates the correct legal forms that can be submitted directly to the court so individuals can have fair access to the legal system in their case. For more information about SoloSuit, see bit.ly/2Fjr9qn
SoloSuit (solosuit.com) is the first product designed by LawX, a legal design lab at BYU Law School with the ambitious goal to solve one legal challenge each fall semester.
“Early in the semester, we realized that debt collection was a legal crisis in Utah,” said Kimball Dean Parker, LawX co-founder and class instructor. “In the last five years, debt collectors in Utah filed over 330,000 lawsuits; 98.5 percent of those sued do not hire an attorney. And in some years, over 80 percent of those sued did not respond, causing them to automatically lose their case. SoloSuit provides a simple platform for debtors to respond to a lawsuit in as little as 10 minutes.”
LawX, which debuted this past fall for second- and third-year BYU Law students, was conceived by BYU Law Dean Gordon Smith and Parker, an attorney at Parsons Behle & Latimer who teaches the LawX course. LawX is structured as a design-thinking process in which students find the best solution to social legal issues, whether it is a change in policy, process or product. LawX participants have fast-paced deadlines and responsibilities that are much like being in a startup. As part of the class, students received a crash course in design thinking and support from IBM designers, while also collaborating with students and professors in other departments at BYU, as well as alumni, local businesses, legal professionals and organizations.
“The law is often unfair to people who cannot afford a lawyer, and LawX is developing solutions that help level the playing field,” said Cami Schiel, a third-year BYU Law student. “It has been the experience of a lifetime to bring a solution from idea to market, and I am looking forward to seeing SoloSuit’s success.”
SoloSuit is available for free at www.solosuit.com. Defendants are able to respond to a debt collection complaint by following a quick and simple response form with online prompts. Their finished answers are then available to download and print for submission to the courts.
While going through the design process, LawX identified several rules in Utah that make it difficult for people facing debt collection lawsuits without the benefit of legal representation. “One example is that Utah requires those who can’t afford an attorney to print their response and mail or hand deliver it to the court,” said Parker. “Only lawyers can deliver those documents electronically. Most of the debtors we spoke with don’t own printers or use the mail regularly. We estimate this rule alone prevents 15 percent to 20 percent of people from responding. It needs to change.” LawX is in discussions with the Utah court system to resolve these issues.
The students working in the LawX lab also quickly realized that Utah is not the only state facing debt collection problems. As they worked to design a solution, they were careful to build the software in a way that can be easily adapted to other states and even to other areas of law. “We think the software could help make the law accessible to millions of people across the nation,” said second-year BYU Law student Brock Foley. “The Alaska court system will pilot the software for debt collection cases in their state later this year, and LawX is currently in discussions with Step Up to Justice, a non-profit organization in Arizona, to adopt the software to eviction cases in that state.” BYU Law School is confident that there are other court systems and non-profit organizations that will be able to adapt the software to the needs in their states and areas of focus.
“The work being done by LawX beautifully complements BYU Law School’s mission to make the world a better place for those who lack resources and strength,” said Dean Smith. "It is refreshing to see the strides LawX has made in a single semester, and I look forward to seeing LawX’s positive impact in Utah and beyond for years to come.”
For more information on BYU Law, visit www.law.byu.edu/.