A Case Study of Teaching Public Interest Tech

Civ Tech: Digital Tools and Access to Justice is an experiential class offered at Georgetown Law Center in collaboration with Mark O’Brien, co-founder and executive director of Pro Bono Net.  In the class, students work in teams with public interest organizations to build web-based apps to increase access to the civil justice system. Since the class was launched, students have built dozens of apps, including ones that help users navigate court processes, understand and act on their rights, and access the law in other ways. Other apps expand the scope and efficacy of services offered by public interest organizations. Many of the tools from the class have been developed further and deployed; others serve as demos.