Former Justice in Action (W360) Sophie Pham writes about her experiences on the Legal technology project over the past year and the creation of TUB, a chatbot that aims to simplify UK visa applications.

I chose the Open Justice Legal Technology Project for my W360 module – Justice in Action in 2024 – to satisfy my curiosity about legal technology. I had previously participated in another Open Justice project in 2022, involving virtual courtroom mooting practice. (To find out more about the Virtual Courtroom project, please visit https://virtualcourtroom.co.uk/). That 2022 project surprised me with how advanced legal education technology had become. I wanted to get involved again, and I had already decided to choose W360 for my Level 3 law module back then, specifically to participate in a larger digital legal project.

This digital legal project gives law students the opportunity to design their own legal chatbots using a provided chatbot design platform. Generally, students undertake legal research in a specific area of law, focusing on common legal issues that interest them and considering how their chatbot might address solutions. The platform introduced to us in 2024 was Nocodebots.AI, which proved really interesting. We were also encouraged to use generative AI, such as ChatGPT, to brainstorm and consolidate our research for chatbot design.

The Four-Phase Structure

The project had four phases, each with clear timeframes, purposes, and scheduled meeting agendas.

Phase one introduced the platform to students, along with concepts of user-centric design and legal design, so that we could develop our own problem statements. Personally, I found this the most difficult stage. As an international student who had been studying outside the UK and had only moved here a few weeks before the module started, I had much to learn about UK legal systems and public concerns. I had too many ideas about legal problems to consider. I faced a dilemma: should I choose a legal topic I already knew well, or select something unfamiliar to learn more during the project?

Having discussions with other team members who had lived in the UK for years only overwhelmed me further when I discovered even more practical legal problems facing residents. I finished phase one with user personas and problem statements, but my decision felt uncertain.

Phase two saw students exploring and developing their first iteration with the chatbot platform whilst conducting in-depth legal research. Several of us discovered that mastering the platform wasn't as straightforward as expected, which made us think about how to apply legal research and combine it with a technical mindset to create a chatbot product. Despite the platform requiring no coding skills, I still needed to learn the low-code syntax and understand its functionality, which took longer than anticipated. Combining legal language with the platform's technical language to 'feed' the chatbot proved challenging.

At this stage, several team members switched to designing their chatbots using the ChatGPT platform. I thought this approach was excellent and less time-consuming if you were already skilled at prompting generative AI. However, I decided to persevere with the provided platform because I wanted to overcome the challenges. Fortunately, my phase one decision to choose a legal topic I already knew well saved me time when learning the tools.

Phases three and four focused on enhancing, finalising, and presenting the chatbot. Project participants were encouraged to share their chatbots with users beyond the project members. I received valuable feedback from friends and family, and I also provided feedback on others' chatbots. I was amazed by others' outcomes and final products – how creative and practical they were. I believe several of them are excellent legal technical tools developed beyond educational purposes. The presentation opportunity helped enhance my presentation skills, providing good practice for job interviews and advocacy skills.

Technical Concerns? Don't Worry

If you're worried about your technical skills, there's no need for concern. Everyone has different levels of technical knowledge and skill sets, different work and study commitments, and other life responsibilities. The project managers understood this completely. They were very flexible, allowing some of us to use our own approaches with ChatGPT for chatbot design, particularly students with IT backgrounds who were more comfortable using their coding knowledge to deliver optimal outcomes.

I appreciated this fluid approach because the project's main purpose is applying legal knowledge to solve problems, not mastering a particular tool. For me, I not only learned to apply legal knowledge to solve specific problems but also enhanced and upgraded myself by learning to use a new platform quickly. I understand that a different platform called Josef was used in previous years. I wonder whether the project managers enjoy exploring different tools and introducing them to students in different years.

OVERVIEW OF TUB – The Useful Bot

Based on my personal experience with UK immigration law and inspiration from legal practitioners who provide free information and advice in supportive social media groups, I developed The Useful Bot (TUB). Some of these practitioners are lawyers in boutique firms, whilst other dedicated administrators consistently answer the same questions week after week, providing straightforward answers to people who lack research skills or simply need clear guidance for their unique circumstances. These groups provided invaluable insight when preparing my own application – they were a light in the darkness for me.

TUB simplifies UK visa applications for family reunion, specifically unmarried partner and spouse visas, for users who cannot afford lawyers. It provides clear, step-by-step guidance on requirements like income thresholds, proof of relationship, and accommodation standards. Designed for those who are uncomfortable with dense information sources, TUB offers interactive, tailored responses in plain English, helping users prepare accurate documents and navigate the process confidently. By reducing stress and costly errors early on, it equips users to understand requirements and decide whether legal expertise is needed later.

For user engagement, TUB's round-the-clock availability and tailored responses cater to those who prefer quick, interactive answers over lengthy documents – a common trend in social media groups. TUB aligns with the mission of small law firms and social media legal support groups to make immigration advice accessible and reduce barriers for individuals who cannot afford lawyers. Generally, TUB saves time for volunteer lawyers, allowing them to focus on complex cases, thus amplifying their community-focused impact.

MY LEARNING JOURNEY

Honestly, I felt a little melancholic when the project ended, or rather when my learning journey with the project concluded. It's funny, isn't it? This is despite the fact that there was some stress during the project because I was completing two law modules whilst trying to settle into my new life in the UK. 

I certainly developed certain skills from undertaking the project. My time management improved significantly thanks to the project being well-managed and fully supported by project managers with clear guidelines, helpful suggestions, weekly reminders, and personal feedback at each stage. This structure helped me arrange my other schedules effectively. Another personal takeaway was learning about digital technology and legal integration, product feasibility, legal design mindset, and legal reasoning. I also developed management skills by observing the project managers – the way they listened to negative feedback and made adjustments, their presentation styles, and how they organised the project are all worth learning from and reflecting upon for career development.

For anyone wanting to learn more about these areas, particularly those who prefer learning by doing, I highly recommend participating in this project. I'm confident that not only will your academic capabilities improve, but you'll also develop transferable skills useful for your career and life.

I hope my experience provides helpful information for other students who might still be undecided about participating. Personally, I would undertake it again, if possible, whether in the same format or an upgraded version of the project.