Team Haven - Introduction and Q&A with NSW Disrupting Law National Finalists
Now that the public voting for the Disrupting Law National Finals is in full swing, we are doing a special blog series on the teams competing for the coveted title so you can get to know them and their innovative solutions better!
First off the ranks, introducing the NSW Disrupting Law National Finalists, Team Haven!
HAVEN SOLUTION SUMMARY
Refugees are some of the most vulnerable members of the community and face ever changing legal goal posts and a higher rate of socio-economic disadvantage. Haven aims to provide a centralised solution for refugees and asylum seekers to streamline the visa application process. Through an online platform available in multiple languages, Haven allows for the collection of the basic information of a person seeking asylum and accordingly allocates their case to a lawyer depending on their caseload capacity and expertise. Haven seeks to create a multi-organisational approach to the issue of access to representation for disadvantaged protection visa applicants by optimising the capacities and leveraging the varied areas of expertise of pro bono organisations and community legal centres on a national scale. This simplifies the intake process for protection visa cases and saves time for centres which can then be spent tackling the more complex and pivotal matters in applications. This streamlining of intakes and consultations can allow for more refugee applicants to be represented. Haven will also have an in-built referrals system for users, which would provide those suffering from homelessness, severe financial difficulties, domestic violence or unemployment, information about the bodies that may be able to assist them.
1. We’d love to know a bit about you- what are your names, and what are your ‘superpowers’?
David - self-discipline, especially around my cookie consumption
Jason - getting overly stressed out
Jiho - staying calm at even the most stressful times
Kelly - being a quiet achiever
Sanjay - being a perfectionist
Stephen - getting things done before a deadline
2. Is there a famous quote that you think best describes your team?
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
3.Give us the elevator pitch - what is your pitch in one sentence?
HAVEN matches refugees and asylum seekers with the legal help they need, with their visa application process to secure their residence in Australia.
4. What is the problem that your team chose to solve? How did you land on it?
We decided to help refugees and asylum seekers get access to the legal help they need to navigate the visa application and extension process. The current process is complicated and the public and private legal help is constantly overburdened. After researching and understanding the endless barriers that they faced, we knew it was crucial to empower them to move towards a secure future in Australia by giving them access to the legal services they need.
5. Tell us about your favourite mentor during the Disrupting Law weekend. What organisation are they from, and how did they help you?
We loved all of our mentors!
Dan, Jillian and Alidia were from King & Wood Mallesons, and Jan was from Platoon and First State Super.
All of them were proactive in guiding our thought process throughout planning, development and pitch execution. They all provided really valuable tips on issues ranging from pitch delivery to UX to market research. The most important thing they taught us was to have confidence in our abilities and our ideas.
6. What was a tricky question that you got during your pitch, and how did you tackle it?
We got asked about what difference our solution makes to the current system. Is it not just an online form? Our answer was that this doesn’t replace the current system, but instead aids it. Haven allows the system to function more efficiently and help more people, because the current system doesn’t have the resources or expertise to devote to improving itself.
7. When did you finally land on your solution during the weekend (towards the beginning of the comp? In the middle? Towards the end?), and were there other problems or solutions that you had considered?
We landed on our idea towards the end of the first day. We spent a large amount of time brainstorming and researching issues in the community, while also determining how each team member’s talents and expertise could be joined to solve a problem. During our discussion, we considered issues and problems that affected vastly different groups such as the youth and elderly. Ultimately, we decided it was best to narrow our focus to a group of people where we could have most impact and that’s where we settled on refugees and asylum seekers.
8. What tips do you have for people interested in competing in Disrupting Law this year?
Go for it! Get in there and have fun. Don’t get too stressed out about having the best idea from the start. As you work with your teammates, your idea will start to come together.
9. Do you think events like Disrupting Law are important for students to get involved in, and, if so, why?
We think it is a fantastic initiative that allows students to be able to think outside the box when trying to find a solution to systemic problems around us. It is an exercise in empathy as well, in a sense, because we have to imagine legal processes through the eyes of those who don’t necessarily have the same level access to or the knowledge of the legal system.
It also provides an opportunity to expand our horizons and be exposed to ways of thinking as well as skillsets outside our own as these competitions focus on the collaboration between students of law, business, IT and software.
10. What is the no. 1 reason that our readers should vote for you?
Refugees and asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable members of our community and face ever increasing legal and socioeconomic disadvantage. These people are often escaping from persecution and have sacrificed everything to seek a better life in Australia for themselves and their families. HAVEN addresses a real issue that affects thousands of people in need.
It provides an avenue through which people can access legal help.
Our commitment to screening participating firms and migration agents, as well as being up-to-date with market rates for representation means that we can ensure that asylum seekers who are not eligible for pro-bono representation can get assistance at fair prices and hence, mitigate any risks of exploitation that they may otherwise be exposed to.
We already have industry interest in our solution. HAVEN will make the change that needs to happen. With empathy and pragmatism, we will offer a pathway of certainty to a better future for these struggling individuals.