MyOpenCourt

Our research team is committed to bringing accessible legal solutions to individuals and small companies across Canada.

Our Vision

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.

Who We Are

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.

MyOpenCourt Leadership

Samuel Dahan

Samuel Dahan

Assistant Professor, Queen's Law and Visiting Professor, Cornell University
Director & Founder
Jonathan Touboul

Jonathan Touboul

Associate Professor, Brandeis University
Scientific Director
Maxime Cohen

Maxime Cohen

Professor, McGill University
Scientific Director
Duncan Fairgrieve

Duncan Fairgrieve

Professor of Law, Paris Dauphine
Co-Creator of the Vaccine Mediator

Meet the Team

Avinash Pillay

Avinash Pillay

JD Candidate
Student Director & Vaccine Mediator Project Leader
Maverick Ramsaran

Maverick Ramsaran

MMA Candidate
Program Manager
Rohan Bhambhoria

Rohan Bhambhoria

PhD candidate
AI Researcher
Cindy Lin

Cindy Lin

BCom. Candidate
Digital Marketing
Chu Fei

Chu Fei

MSc Candidate
AI Researcher
Ashby Poonoly

Ashby Poonoly

BA
UX Designer
Alex Coates

Alex Coates

BEng
Full-Stack Developer

Advisory Committee

Yuri Levin

Yuri Levin

Rector (Dean) at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
Advisor, Data Science and AI
Mikhail Nediak

Mikhail Nediak

Associate Dean, Research, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
Advisor, Data Science and AI
Kevin Banks

Kevin Banks

Law Professor
Director, Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace
Claas Kirchhelle

Claas Kirchhelle

Lecturer at University College Dublin
Advisor, Vaccine Mediator
Samantha Vanderslott

Samantha Vanderslott

University Research Lecturer at the University of Oxford
Advisor, Vaccine Mediator
Lawrence Susskind

Lawrence Susskind

MIT
Advisor, Vaccine Mediator
Ken Feinberg

Ken Feinberg

Special Master, 9/11 Fund
Advisor, Vaccine Mediator

Summer Cohort

Brandon Loehle, JD, Project Lead
Arash Rouhi, JD candidate, Summer Innovation Intern
Caroline Ross, JD candidate, Summer Innovation Intern
Dilina Lallani, JD candidate, Summer Innovation Intern
Mercy Liu, JD candidate, Summer Innovation Intern
Anna Xu, JD candidate, Research Assistant
Holly Grosdanis, JD candidate, Research Assistant
Solinne Jung, JD candidate, Research Assistant
Jolene Lammers, BA, Software Developer

Previous Members

Zach Berg, JD, Student Project Leader & Research Assistant
David Liang, JD, Student Director & Research Assistant
Evan Walman, JD, Partnership Officer
Alizeh Alvi, JD, Communications and Outreach Officer
Max Saunders, JD, Student Project Leader & Technology Officer
Mackenzie Anderson, JD, Student Project Leader & Talent Officer
Nikhil Shah, BA, UX Designer & Researcher
Shane Liquornik, JD, MBA, Student Development Officer
Jesse Watts, JD, Research Assistant
William Quaglietta, JD, Student Legal Analyst
Tobias Carryer, BComp, Software Developer