The rise of AI-powered tools to meet the need for dispute resolution at scale offers the opportunity to not only modernize the legal system but also dramatically expand access to justice
This article is part of an ongoing series titled Scaling Justice, by Maya Markovich and others in consultation with the Thomson Reuters Institute. This series aims to not only explore how justice technology fits within the modern legal system, but how technology companies themselves can scale as businesses while maintaining their access to justice mission.
Court systems worldwide are buckling under their own weight, backlogged and burdened with expensive processes. As the volume of civil disputes outpaces the capacity of traditional legal infrastructure and services to manage them, a new legal operating system is emerging, powered by AI and built to serve all people with legal problems.
The goal of this transformation is to resolve millions more disputes efficiently, affordably, and equitably. From legacy institutions to tech startups, stakeholders across the legal ecosystem are recognizing that the path forward requires more than just smarter tools — it demands a structural overhaul.
The civil justice bottleneck
Civil disputes have long presented a crisis of accessibility. In the United States, thousands of civil litigants must navigate the legal system without representation. In 2022, the Legal Services Corporation found that 92% of Americans received inadequate or no legal help for their civil legal problems, up from 86% in 2017. Debt collection cases account for more than one-quarter of civil dockets, and defendants are unrepresented in more than 90% of those cases. In state courts, 75% of civil cases — representing more than 130 million cases per year — involve at least one unrepresented party. The majority of these cases involve such serious life events as eviction, debt collection, family law, and consumer claims.
This market failure affects not only the least financially stable among us, but also those just above the line, small businesses, and more. And it’s not just the outcomes of these cases that impact those involved. Indeed, the day-to-day requirements of dealing with a legal matter for most people — taking time off work, making appearances, funding representation — all contribute to the ongoing stress and negative economic impact on the daily lives of the individuals and families involved.
The root of this crisis is not only a lack of legal aid funding or the impossibility of having enough legal professionals to fill this need, but it’s also the architecture of the system itself. The processes, timelines, and costs of traditional litigation are ill-suited for the volume and nature of modern, often data-intensive disputes.
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) reports that only one-third (33%) of Americans believe state courts provide equal justice to all, regardless of race or income. This perception is rooted in barriers to access, opaque processes, and the overwhelming complexity of legal proceedings for those without proper representation. However, when a large portion of a country’s citizens see their legal system as inaccessible or biased, its legitimacy — and the public’s willingness to rely upon it — is challenged.
ADR and AI: Expanding the reach of legal remedies
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has long offered a more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective path to justice compared to traditional court proceedings. By removing many procedural and financial barriers that deter individuals from pursuing legal remedies, ADR can serve as a vital tool for closing the justice gap. Mediation and arbitration processes are typically faster, less adversarial, and more flexible, allowing for solutions tailored to reflect the real-world needs of the parties involved.
When combined with technology, ADR can reach broader populations by reducing reliance on physical court infrastructure, streamlining documentation, and enabling participation from any location. If implemented equitably, ADR can shift the justice system from a reactive, high-cost mechanism to an inclusive service that meets people where they are in every sense.
To address this gap, legal innovators are turning to AI to reimagine how disputes can be resolved. Rather than simply layering AI onto outdated workflows, some organizations are designing systems from the ground up, in which AI is not merely a feature but the foundation. These AI-native platforms can automate nearly every step in a dispute, from intake and record generation to decision issuance and appeals. Crucially, they are built with adaptability in mind. Users may choose to resolve certain disputes through fully automated processes while preserving the option for human oversight in more complex or sensitive cases.
Companies like eBay, PayPal, and Amazon use AI to route routine claims tied to delivery delays or minor warranty disputes through automated systems that can deliver resolutions within minutes or escalate disputes to a human decision-maker. Those involved in higher-stakes conflicts might opt for traditional arbitration with AI assisting in evidence organization and process management. This flexibility allows for a truly customizable choose your own resolution experience that enables exponentially more disputes to be resolved.
Unlocking access to justice
The legal sector is beginning to see increased investment in ADR technologies. Courts increasingly understand the benefit of private systems that resolve matters outside the courtroom and can relieve overburdened dockets with a process that resolves matters.
Notably, many of these efforts are emerging from nonprofit or mission-driven justice tech companies that aim to expand access to justice with a sustainable business model. This ethos, combined with open collaboration and public iteration, will give the emerging tech-powered legal operating system its staying power. Further, the rise of AI-powered tools to meet the need for dispute resolution at scale offers the opportunity to not only modernize the legal system but also dramatically expand access to justice. For millions of individuals and small businesses priced out of legal representation or overwhelmed by procedural complexity, automated or hybrid systems that can offer a faster, more accessible, and less intimidating path to resolution are a critical fix.
One its own, the unguided development of automated processes will not narrow the justice gap. However, if thoughtfully designed, these tools can help correct long-standing inequities — streamlining claims processes for unrepresented parties, demystifying legal language, and ensuring that outcomes are not dependent on a party’s resources or familiarity with the legal system.
We can now build legal infrastructure that truly scales to meet the needs of the public. Realizing this vision will require deliberate choices, and key questions remain, such as:
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- How do we ensure these systems are inclusive and accessible to people across socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural divides?
- What standards will govern fairness and due process in automated environments?
- How can we make transparency and accountability inherent and necessary features?
- What role should public institutions play in shaping and overseeing these private resolution platforms?
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The future of the civil justice system lies not only in technical advances, but in a new vision of who the system serves. If guided by equity and integrity, with the goals of fairness at scale, AI has the potential to not only optimize justice but extend it to all.
You can read more posts in our Scaling Justice blog series here
