For 28 years, John Mayer has been executive director of the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, or CALI, a non-profit consortium of some 200 law schools that describes itself as “the innovative force pushing legal education toward change for the better.” Along the way, CALI’s mission expanded to include addressing access to justice, primarily through its development, in partnership with Chicago-Kent College of Law, of A2J Author, an expert system designed to help self-represented litigants complete court forms and navigate legal processes.
In this episode of LawNext, Mayer joins host Bob Ambrogi to discuss the history and mission of CALI and to share his thoughts on the use of technology to enhance legal education. They also talk about how and why A2J Author was developed and how it is used by courts and legal services organizations to help those who are without legal representation. Mayer also shares his thoughts on the future of innovation