RE: A Lawyer Bot that helps you out on Legal Issues for Free? Are we ready for the Dawn of a New Age for Justice?
I'm reminded of this story about a high-ranking government official who just had his conviction- and 12-year sentence for corruption- overturned on a technicality. It's unlikely a public defender or poor person representing themselves would have the same capacity to search for and successfully argue on such a minute detail of the law. A bot that could help someone look up legal questions for free could help equalize the playing field but, as @fleur pointed out, with the law being as sophisticated as it is, who's to say a simple computer program is capable of offering reliable advice?
As you stated, unequal treatment in the eyes of the law has deeper social roots related to preventable socioeconomic disparities, educational shortcomings, and a byzantine law system largely built to protect property and the right to profit even over basic human rights.
yes that's why I see that a simplification is also needed. If I look at for instance when I studies economics, in my first year I was taught a lot of basic premises which stand as the foundation of economics. A lot of these premises were unsound and as a result create a lot of ripple effects and consequences. Then in later years, you learn about all the myriad of ways to 'balance out' and kind of counter act all these consequences, which in most cases, are also unsound, creating again their own set of consequences .... and so it continues. This results in a vast network of rules and regulations which for most part can be greatly downsized and simplified if you do a general overhaul and create a solid foundation.