Giving Compass' Take:

• Rebecca Ruiz explains how an AI-powered tool helps victims of domestic violence navigate difficult and confusing legal processes. 

• How can funders work to support scalable solutions like this one? What other common problems do domestic violence victims face? 

• Learn about high-impact giving opportunities related to domestic violence. 

When a domestic violence survivor files the legal paperwork for a restraining order against an abuser, the process is often complicated, emotional, and time-intensive.

While there's no shortcut to make that experience less painful or nerve-wracking, Dorna Moini, a lawyer who's represented numerous survivors pro-bono, wants to make it more efficient. That's why she launched HelpSelf Legal, a fee-based site that uses artificial intelligence to enhance the process of filing restraining order paperwork.

It would be nice to have everyone have a lawyer to help them through the process, but the reality is that there aren’t enough lawyers.

The service's AI was trained on prior restraining order filings, so it's programmed to help the user avoid making mistakes that could lead the court to reject the paperwork, like neglecting to answer required questions. It also adapts to the user's responses. If a petitioner says that an abuser owns firearms, it leads to a clear prompt about whether they want the court to consider removing those weapons from the abuser's possession.

Read the full article on domestic violence survivors by Rebecca Ruiz at Mashable.