In the Media - My AI Lawyer Is Changing the Way South Africans Access Legal Help

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Ashraf Garda: Right. Let's talk tech, and part of that is My AI Lawyer. What does that mean? Do they do articles? How do they qualify? Do they get admitted to the bar? With me is Darren Cohen, head of Distribution and Marketing at My AI Lawyer. Darren, good to engage you on the National Pulse.

Darren Cohen: Hi Ashraf, and good evening to your listeners.

Ashraf Garda: Thank you. Of course, we focus very much on the technology behind the tech and why it's important. Tell me more about My AI Lawyer. I have a sense of what I think it does, but it's best for you to explain.

Darren Cohen: Great. Thank you so much. My AI Lawyer is a platform we've developed to democratise access to justice in South Africa. In a nation where there are often power imbalances in different relationships, including working relationships and family relationships, many people don't know where to access their rights or understand their responsibilities. We believe that people experience life, not legal problems. The legal issues come later.

What we try to do is help people facing legal issues resolve them with accessible advice and assistance. Our experience is that, while access to justice may be interpreted as costly litigation, access to advice can be the difference in enabling you to protect what you love and fight for what matters. Access to justice is enshrined in our Constitution: everyone has the right to have any dispute that can be resolved under the law decided in a fair and public hearing. Globally, access to justice is also a focus of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We think access to justice has several components. One is understanding that you have rights. Many people aren't aware of the protections available to them. Through our platform, clients can ask questions, gain insights, and educate themselves on their legal rights in a non-intimidating and accessible way.

Ashraf Garda: Give me a practical example. If I get onto your site, My AI Lawyer, how will it serve my purpose? What can it do for me?

Darren Cohen: We've crafted and curated the legal information based on South African law and precedent, and we've curated hundreds of thousands of user questions into the platform to make sure it gives legal answers that are jargon-free and in plain language. For example, many people may have labour or family issues and not know how to approach them. You'll be able to chat with it in a very human way. We've built in an element of companionship, which is our driving purpose, and we've built it so that it answers in a humane manner. It doesn't feel like you're chatting to a chatbot; it feels like you're talking to a companion. When you tell it about your problem, it won't simply list legal steps. Depending on your matter, it may say, “I'm so sorry you're going through that. Are you in a safe space?” Then it will start guiding you through your rights.

Ashraf Garda: The fundamental issue is whether that replaces using an attorney or advocate for consultation.

Darren Cohen: I think we're moving into a blended world. It removes many of the barriers to accessing justice. Being able to access that information empowers you. Over and above that, our brand promise is that it's digital when you want it and human when you need it. We have an in-house team of legal professionals. If you're speaking to the AI Lawyer and feel the matter is extremely sensitive, or you need more of a helping hand, you can ask it to hand over to one of our human lawyers. From there, it will package your information, including any documents you've uploaded or documents we've produced for you, such as legal letters, agreements, or contracts. It will send everything to our human legal team, who will review your matter and call you back to talk you through it. Importantly, it will be a huge time saver for you and for the legal fraternity, because they're calling you with an understanding of what your issue is about.

Ashraf Garda: Let me give you an example. I need a new lease agreement written up. Ordinarily, I would go to an attorney or lawyer. Instead, I come to you, feed in some variables, and the platform produces it. Would there be a cost attached to that?

Darren Cohen: Absolutely. You would come to us and have a brief conversation on chat. It's also voice enabled, so if you don't feel like typing everything out, you can hold down the microphone. That's available on both our web platform and WhatsApp. You can send the information through, and it may ask for additional details, such as the particulars of the landlord, the tenant, and the physical address. It will then produce the lease agreement for you and provide it for review so you can use it.

In terms of costs, we have varying packages available. You can access the platform once, or for twenty-four hours, for R49. We also have monthly options: a digital-only package without human support for R69 per month, or the full “digital when you want it, human when you need it” option for R99 per month. There are also savings available on annual plans.

Ashraf Garda: We're onto news shortly. Tell us about the technology behind creating the humanness of this AI platform.

Darren Cohen: We spent several years curating our purpose and values into it. As I mentioned, we've curated hundreds of thousands of questions, so we have a firm understanding of how to apply large language models in a compassionate way, while also building around the framework of South African law. It really is like having a conversation with a human being, not a robot.

Ashraf Garda: Lastly, what's the uptake from users, and what's the response from those in the legal fraternity? You have thirty seconds.

Darren Cohen: It's been phenomenal. We've answered over one hundred and fifty thousand questions and continue to grow every day. We've seen over thirty thousand users. Recently, we also launched access via airtime deduction, partnering with Via Media, one of South Africa's leading content and carrier specialists, to provide access through Cell C airtime deduction.

Ashraf Garda: Are your legal friends talking to you?

Darren Cohen: Absolutely. They see us as an enabler.

Ashraf Garda: Let's leave it at that. I'll certainly check it out myself. My AI Lawyer: Darren Cohen, head of Distribution and Marketing at My AI Lawyer. I appreciate you engaging us on the National Pulse. There you are. AI is an enabler, and you need to understand how it's going to change everything we do. It can't replace us, but it will change things. The quicker we understand that, the better