These law students combine technology with fee-generating cases
Some law students at Suffolk University are getting real-life experience on how to make money handling fee-shifting cases with the help of technology.
Six law students, working under the supervision of seasoned lawyers, are participating in a so-called Accelerator Practice, an in-house law practice representing average income individuals in mostly fee-shifting cases, Suffolk Law Alumni Magazine reports.
Students in the Accelerator Practice are building an intake app for potential clients that asks questions to help students decide whether to take on the case. Student Michael Eidlin tells the Alumni Magazine the app is for “different types of complaints, housing conditions or consumer protection cases, for example. Since intake doesn’t always translate into billable work, the goal is to make it efficient and cut down on the need to re-interview a client due to missing information.”
Automated processes can help lawyers serving middle-income clients be more efficient, Eidlin explains. “If we’re efficient, we can take more cases and it becomes a numbers game,” he says.
The in-house law practice is part of the law school’s Accelerator-to-Practice program, in which successful applicants take specialized coursework that includes training in technology and business development.
