Everyone should have access to basic legal support, because it is as important as access to a living wage and health care.

MyOpenCourt was born from an observation: Most cases are too simple for hiring a lawyer, but too complicated to resolve without one. For many of us it does not make financial sense to hire a lawyer, not only because the costs are so high, but because the legal fees could be even higher than the amount of money we might win in court. This is probably why 86% of Canadians looking for legal assistance choose not to hire a lawyer (Julie Macfarlane).

We believe that data science research can make a difference. While a computer algorithm can’t replace good legal skills, data science can help all Canadians determine whether they have a case and reach out to the right lawyer for help.

MyOpenCourt is a product of the Conflict Analytics Lab at Queen’s University in Canada. It is the result of several years of hard work by many volunteers and researchers at Queen’s, McGill, and Brandeis Universities, including law students, lawyers, data scientists, computer scientists, and mathematicians.