Legal Aid of North Carolina Launches JusticeHub, a New Statewide Intake System to Make Access to Justice Faster and Easier

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Legal Aid of North Carolina Launches JusticeHub, a New Statewide Intake System to Make Access to Justice Faster and Easier

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RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 6, 2026) — Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announced today the public launch of JusticeHub, a new online intake and client portal designed to make it easier for people across North Carolina to apply for civil legal help and access reliable legal information.

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JusticeHub is a single, centralized entry point for Legal Aid of North Carolina’s services. It replaces an outdated intake process that often resulted in long hold times and confusion for applicants. The new system is mobile-friendly, available 24/7, and built with accessibility at its core to support users with low literacy, disabilities, limited English proficiency, or limited access to technology.

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JusticeHub was developed over the past year through Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Innovation Lab, in close collaboration with A2J Tech PBC, a legal technology public benefit corporation focused on expanding access to justice. Together, the teams combined legal expertise, human-centered design, and modern technology to reimagine how people connect with civil legal help.

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“Getting legal help should not be another source of stress when someone is already facing a crisis,” said Scheree Gilchrist, Chief Innovation Officer at Legal Aid of North Carolina. “JusticeHub reflects what our communities and partners told us they needed: a clearer, faster, and more human way to connect with legal help. Working alongside A2J Tech allowed us to translate those needs into a system that removes barriers for applicants and helps our staff serve more people effectively.”

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Through JusticeHub, individuals can apply for Legal Aid services online without waiting on hold, quickly see whether they may qualify for help, upload documents directly through the system, check the status of an existing application, and access legal information, self-help guides, and referrals. Applicants can also receive support from LIA, Legal Aid of North Carolina’s AI-powered legal information assistant, which helps users navigate the intake process and find answers to common legal questions.

Behind the scenes, JusticeHub integrates directly with LegalServer, Legal Aid of North Carolina’s case management system, streamlining workflows for intake staff and reducing administrative burden so attorneys and advocates can focus more time on clients. The platform is also designed to support community partners—such as libraries, nonprofits, and service providers—who assist individuals seeking legal help.

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“JusticeHub represents what’s possible when legal aid organizations and technologists work as true partners,” said Mauricio Duarte, Chief Operating Officer at A2J Tech and lead project manager for JusticeHub. “Our goal was to build a system that feels simple and intuitive for people asking for help, while still handling the complexity of legal aid intake. Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Innovation Lab brought deep insight into client needs, and together we created a tool that meaningfully improves access to justice.”

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JusticeHub was developed in direct response to feedback from clients, staff, and community partners who shared frustrations with long wait times, limited intake hours, and an overly complex process. Legal Aid of North Carolina consistently heard the need for a more accessible, centralized entry point, better tools for partners assisting applicants, improved staff workflows, and stronger support for language access, literacy, and digital inclusion.

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Several Legal Aid offices—including Central Carolina, Greensboro, Greenville, and Raleigh—served as beta testing partners, providing real-world feedback that directly shaped the final system.

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The launch of JusticeHub comes at a critical moment for Legal Aid of North Carolina. Each year, the organization receives roughly 300,000 calls to its helpline, far exceeding available resources. At the same time, Legal Aid of North Carolina is navigating a statewide freeze on IOLTA funding, a key source of support for civil legal aid. Despite these challenges, the organization continues to innovate to ensure people can reach help when they need it.

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JusticeHub is part of Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Modernizing Access Initiative, a multi-year effort supported in part by funding from the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, the Legal Services Corporation, and NC IOLTA, focused on creating more client-centered, efficient, and accessible pathways to legal help.

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JusticeHub is now live at legalaidnc.org/justicehub and can be accessed using a phone, tablet, or computer.

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For more information about Legal Aid of North Carolina and its services, visit legalaidnc.org.

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For more information about A2J Tech and its services, visit goa2jtech.com