On Oct. 19, the California State Bar announced the creation of the Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services, a task force prompted to bridge access to justice through technology usage and regulation changes. The task force was created, said California State Bar program director Rebecca Farmer, to provide low- and moderate-income Californians and those living in rural areas with more legal services.

Farmer said the task force's initiatives could vary, but it would examine regulation changes in law firm ownership and how legal services can be provided through technology, including automation, online legal models and artificial intelligence. This expertise, she highlighted, could be better understood by the tech community members and non-lawyers on the task force.

For Andrew Arruda, co-founder and creator of ROSS Intelligence and an appointed member of the task force, the task force's goal is similar to his own.

“The goal of the task force is to study ways in which access to justice can be improved for Californians through the responsible use of technology, which is something I have devoted my life to from my work in law school to my work now as co-founder and CEO of ROSS Intelligence,” wrote Arruda in an email.

Arruda is one of nine lawyer and eight non-lawyer members of the task force, with California Court of Appeal Second Appellate District Justice Lee Edmon chairing the group. Farmer said four additional members are scheduled to be appointed and that the task force would have a non-lawyer majority.

Currently, based on a press release provided by the state bar, the nonlawyer members of the task force are vice chair Joyce Raby, Abhijeet Chavan, Valerie Dean, Lori Gonzalez, Daniel Rice, Allen Rodriguez, Daniel Rubins and Joshua Walker. The attorney members of the task force are vice chair Toby Rothschild, Arruda, Tara Burd, Judge Wendy Chang, California Senate appointee Margie Estrada, Bridget Gramme, Andrew Kucera, Assembly appointee Joanna Mendoza, Kevin Mohr and Mark Tuft.

Farmer said the mixture of lawyers and non-lawyers was intended to showcase the task force is for the “best interest of the public, not the industry we regulate.”

Arruda agreed, adding, “By bringing together a group of individuals with specialties across law, technology and other adjoining areas I hope we will be successful in our goal of identifying ways in which technology can help enable better access to justice.”

Farmer explained the geographic proximity of Silicon Valley—a global hub of technological advancements—couldn't be ignored and could be used in making some strides in closing the gaps in legal services.

Farmer said the task force could set a trend for other bar associations, even those that don't have a Silicon Valley in its backyard.

“We know that what happens in California sets the tone for what happens nationwide,” Farmer said. “The hope of this task force [is that this] might set the model of what we can respond with by using technology.”