Team OLAF - Intro and Q&A with ACT Disrupting Law National Finalists

 
 
 

Introducing the ACT Disrupting Law National Finalists, Team OLAF!

Solution Summary

Our idea aims to create a more accessible application form for Legal Aid ACT to use. Currently the form comprises of fourteen pages, with a supplementary twenty-page explanation guide and is currently not available online.

We identified and dealt with three key pain points present in the existing format for both the Legal Aid Commission and their clients. Essentially, we produced a massively improved form that manufactured the same output. Our solution was simple and embedded the product into the existing Legal Aid website infrastructure. 

Subsequently seeing a reduction in the need for applicants to physically come into Legal Aid, the confusion associated with the form and the amount of time paid Legal Aid employees invest into manually digitising the current hardcopy form. Allowing for Legal Aid resources to be redistributed into other areas of the Commission to better suit the changing legal needs of the local community.

1) We’d love to know a bit about you- what are your names, and what are your ‘superpowers’?

  • Vy Dinh- super power: Performing analysis 

  • Jon Thomson-Settle: Having niche facts  

  • Natalia Guisasola : Remembering all the things

  • Connor McFadyen: Listening to Nat remember all the things

  • Arthur Hao: Providing insightful comments

2) Is there a famous quote that you think best describes your team?

‘But, what if it does work’ – Daniel Flynn (a co-founder of a social enterprise, ‘thankyou’, that commits 100% of profits to end global poverty)

Any complex problem involves a lot of people telling you that you can’t do it, that it is impossible. This quote is one to remember and teaches us to continue to strive despite the naysayers.

3) Give us the elevator pitch - what is your pitch in one sentence?

An online, interactive Legal Aid application form that is accessible by everyone.

4) What is the problem that your team chose to solve?  How did you land on it?  

The problem we chose to solve was to Legal Aid ACT’s application form. The form had not been digitalised despite a large investment in time and money by Legal Aid ACT. Our goal was to utilise advances in technology through Checkbox.ai to create a tailored form that addressed the needs of low socio-economic clients. Two of our team had seen this problem firsthand. Both of us had spent a couple of hours every day we were there at Legal Aid ACT explaining to an applicant how to fill out a Legal Aid application form. These people had to come into a physical location in the centre of the Canberra, fill in a hard copy and likely be called back to fill out further details.  

5) Tell us about your favourite mentor during the Disrupting Law weekend. What organisation are they from, and how did they help you?

Daniel Taha (Allens). Daniel’s previous experience in hackathons was invaluable to our team. His positive attitude and straight talking was essential to our performance. We had a lot of fun having him in the room with us and throwing around ideas. He truly knows how to present anything. An awesome pleasure to work with someone as smart as him. 

6) What was a tricky question that you got during your pitch, and how did you tackle it?

We were asked what the longest route through our application form was, as we focused heavily upon simplifying and condensing the process for applicants. This question was difficult to answer as it is dependent on the applicant circumstances, such as having dependents or assets, which makes the application process longer. A stumper of a question to answer well. 

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 solution in the middle of the competition. We did have other ideas, but none would make the kind of lasting difference that revolutionising the Legal Aid ACT application form would make.

8) What tips do you have for people interested in competing in Disrupting Law this year?

Choose an ambitious idea that will make a real difference. Everything builds off that. Also, have fun, as that really helps the team to bond together and gets you through the tougher moments.

9) Do you think events like Disrupting Law are important for students to get involved in, and, if so, why?

Events like Disrupting Law are really important, as it assists students to build upon their current skills and develop new ones with guidance from industry professionals. Whilst the ambitious and time sensitive nature of the event really encourages teams to go outside of their comfort zones and grow as a unit.

10) What is the no. 1 reason that our readers should vote for you?

Our idea is something that actively addresses an existing problem in the legal profession, can be easily implemented, is sustainable, and will make a substantial difference to all Legal Aid applicants nationwide and Legal Aid ACT.  

 
Milan Gandhi