The Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi, in cooperation with the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the Legal Services Corporation, and the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, introduced LegalNavigatorHawaii.org, a free online legal resources platform designed specifically for Hawaiʻi residents.

A recent survey by the Legal Services Corporation revealed that 59% of respondents did not seek legal assistance for significant civil matters, often due to a lack of awareness that legal help is needed, doubts about professional legal assistance, or cost barriers. LegalNavigatorHawaii.org aims to simplify access to reliable legal information, connect individuals with trusted resources, and guide them in developing effective plans to address their civil legal issues.

The platform is divided into two primary sections: Guided Assistants and Topics and Resources. Guided Assistants consist of interviews that help create personal action plans by outlining steps to resolve legal issues, providing informational resources, and linking to interviews that automatically generate court forms. Currently, these Guided Assistants cover specific issues in family law and housing-related matters, with more to come in the future. The Topics and Resources section includes location filters for accessing legal articles, brochures, forms, and videos on numerous topics, along with referral information for local legal and social service providers.

Legal Navigator also features a search function powered by SPOT, a machine-assisted issue spotter that allows users to search for legal resources using plain language.

While Legal Navigator is focused on legal services within Hawaiʻi, its open-source code is available for adoption by any state.

This project was supported by a Technology Innovation Grant from the Legal Services Corporation and Justice for Families funding from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), and is done in cooperation with the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary.

To access Legal Navigator, visit LegalNavigatorHawaii.org