What If Justice Scaled Like the Internet? Meet CaseAid.
CaseAid
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CaseAid is on a mission to scale justice to 1 billion people over the next decade through technology.
Access to justice is broken at scale. In the United States alone, more than 80% of the civil legal needs of low-income Americans go unmet. CaseAid, a new global nonprofit, believes the core problem is not a shortage of lawyers but a shortage of technological infrastructure.
The organization is building a digital platform designed to expand access to legal help at scale. Its thesis is simple: justice should function like infrastructure. It should be reliable, scalable, and accessible regardless of geography or income.
At the center of CaseAid is a virtual legal clinic platform that allows nonprofit legal aid groups, courts, law schools, and pro bono lawyers to operate remotely through a unified system. Organizations can onboard clients, match them with lawyers, coordinate consultations, and manage clinic operations without the constraints of physical space. The model is designed to reduce cost, expand reach, and eliminate persistent legal deserts in rural and underserved communities where in-person services are scarce.
The platform also lowers the friction that keeps many lawyers from participating in pro bono work. By integrating into existing workflows and simplifying coordination, CaseAid makes it easier for busy professionals to contribute meaningful legal support. Built-in tools help clinics manage volume, triage demand, and support lawyers working in unfamiliar areas of law, expanding capacity without replacing professional judgment.
The idea for CaseAid did not start in a product meeting. It emerged from a crisis.
Co-founder Amber Bobin was leading the global campaign to free Paul Rusesabagina, the humanitarian portrayed in Hotel Rwanda, who had been wrongfully detained by the Rwandan government. Despite international attention, finding urgent cross-border legal support proved fragmented and chaotic. There was no centralized way to identify the right lawyers, coordinate international advocacy, or mobilize funding quickly. Even in a high-profile case, the system was disconnected.
To solve the immediate funding challenge, Bobin sought out Stevie Ghiassi, an entrepreneur who was early to foundational internet technologies such as VoIP, WebRTC, and blockchain. Ghiassi had built CaseFund, a purpose-built legal crowdfunding platform designed for serious justice-oriented litigation. Through it, the campaign raised $100,000 to activate an international legal team and coordinate diplomatic pressure.
The case drew in the United States State Department, while the European Parliament passed multiple resolutions condemning the trial and the United Nations ruled his imprisonment unlawful. The Clooney Foundation for Justice, led by George and Amal Clooney, brought sustained international legal scrutiny to the proceedings. Public advocacy was amplified by figures including Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Doc Rivers. After 939 days in detention, Rusesabagina was released.
For Bobin and Ghiassi, the experience revealed something bigger. The problem was not attention. It was infrastructure. Even when lawyers, public will, and global support existed, there was no system capable of organizing and scaling that effort efficiently.
That insight became CaseAid.
The nonprofit has since been joined by Ben Jackson, co-founder of Upsolve. Jackson’s path into legal technology was personal before it was professional. He understood from experience what it means to face a financial crisis without access to legal help. That perspective shaped how Upsolve was built: not as a product designed for underserved people, but as one built by someone who had been there. Upsolve has since helped more than 21,000 Americans escape debt through bankruptcy, with financial education resources now reaching over 3 million people a year. That work earned recognition as one of Time Magazine’s Inventions of the Year. At CaseAid, Jackson brings that same conviction: that the people closest to the problem are often best positioned to build the solution.
“Upsolve showed what’s possible when technology meets access to justice. I’m excited about the opportunity CaseAid has to build a critical piece of infrastructure to help legal aid organizations reach far more people.” – Ben Jackson
Today, CaseAid is working with legal aid organizations, courts, and law schools, alongside partners including Meta, American Express, DLA Piper, and Orrick, to pilot and expand virtual legal clinic infrastructure. The organization is initially focused on proving the model with legal aid partners in the United States, where the infrastructure and demand for virtual clinics are already well established, before expanding internationally.
Established as a nonprofit in the United States and Australia, and expanding into the United Kingdom, CaseAid is positioning itself as a foundational layer for modern justice delivery.
If the internet scaled communication and fintech scaled payments, CaseAid is betting that legal help can scale too. The goal is not just more lawyers or more clinics, but a system that allows legal support to move as quickly as the need for it.
