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The William S. Richardson School of Law recently participated in a free legal clinic, introducing a new expungement automation tool developed by Innovator-in-Residence Matthew Stubenberg and law student Ben Leider. On Sept. 28 at Waiʻanae Public Library, in just four hours, nearly 120 people received legal assistance to expunge arrest records and recall bench warrants.
The event, coordinated with partners including the Hawaii State Judiciary, the Office of the Public Defender, ACLU Hawaii and the Hawaii Workers Center, provided crucial support to community members in clearing old legal issues that can create barriers to employment, housing and other opportunities.
“The chrome extension was an indispensable asset during the clinic by expediting the records research that was done by the attorneys to determine the eligibility of an applicant for expungement,” said Edward (Eddie) Aquino, Deputy Public Defender at the State of Hawaiʻi Office of the Public Defender. The tool analyzes the case data on eCourt Kokua and uses an algorithm to assist the attorney in determining whether a case is eligible for expungement. After each case has been analyzed the tool generates a completed expungement application, a summary of the cases determined to be eligible for expungement, as well as the request letters to seal court records upon approval of the expungement.
This clinic marked the soft launch of the tool, offering real-time feedback from attorneys and attendees. In total, 72 applications for expungement and 39 bench warrant recall requests were processed during the clinic.
“The expungement process in Hawaiʻi offered a great opportunity where the addition of technology could really help scale the great work done by the volunteer attorneys. Instead of tediously filling out paperwork the attorneys can now spend that time communicating with the client and ultimately helping more people in less time,” said Stubenberg. “There are still many more areas in the law where technology can help make attorneys more efficient and ultimately increase access to justice.”
Recognizing the rapid transformation of legal practice due to advancements in technology, Richardson Law School has recently expanded its curriculum to include courses in legal technology and innovation. The school now offers classes such as “Artificial Intelligence & Social Justice,” “Coding for Lawyers,” “Cybersecurity & the Law” and more. These courses foster a culture that encourages students to think creatively in addressing legal challenges.
One such student, Ben Leider, enrolled in “Coding for Lawyers” and realized the significant impact a few lines of code could have on improving access to justice. “The rise of consumer AI is what really brought home for me how overdue law is for truly massive disruption, whether by AI itself or by good old-fashioned programming logic,” Leider said. Leveraging the skills he acquired, Ben collaborated with Professor Stubenberg to develop an expungement tool.
Richardson Law’s involvement in the initiative reflects its strong commitment to expanding access to justice within the community. This engagement also provides students with valuable hands-on legal experience, as well as exposure to creating legal technology applications.