JurisGuard

AI-powered legal defense web app that translates intimidating eviction notices and generates court-ready answers for vulnerable tenants.

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Inspiration

Millions of lower-income tenants face eviction every year, and an overwhelming majority go to housing court entirely unrepresented. When served with complex legal notices, they face strict deadlines of just a few days to file a legal "Answer"—otherwise, they face automatic default judgments. I was inspired to build JurisGuard to bridge this massive justice gap using AI, turning impenetrable legalese into clear, life-saving guidance.

What it does

JurisGuard is an AI-powered web platform that empowers vulnerable tenants facing eviction. Users can upload a photo or PDF of their landlord's notice to instantly receive a plain-language translation, a clear breakdown of strict court deadlines, an interactive questionnaire to build their legal defense, and an automatically generated, court-ready legal document complete with filing instructions.

How I built it

I built a modern, high-performance web application using Next.js (React), TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for a fully responsive, accessible user interface. The backend integrates robust file-handling and OCR logic to parse legal notices, extract key clauses, and leverage LLMs to structure user defenses before compiling everything into formatted legal templates.

Challenges I ran into

Navigating complex legal formatting requirements while ensuring the user interface remained reassuring and entirely frictionless under high-stress situations was a major design challenge. I also focused heavily on structuring robust fallback mechanisms for document generation to ensure reliability across different local court requirements.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I successfully created a production-ready web application that bridges complex AI document-parsing with practical, real-world utility in record time. JurisGuard transforms raw code into an accessible tool that directly protects housing stability.

What I learned

I gained deep insights into the intersection of civic tech and legal engineering, learning how critical it is to translate complex legal processes into intuitive, accessible workflows for everyday users.

What's next for JurisGuard

Moving forward under the LexHack Builders Fellowship, I plan to expand jurisdiction support, partner with local legal aid clinics, and deploy JurisGuard live into communities to help prevent unlawful evictions at scale.

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