Can You Really Rely on “Divorce Apps” in California?
These days, it seems like there is an app for everything. There is an app for waiting in line at a restaurant, an app for delivering food, and an app for helping you sleep at night. But should you really rely on a smartphone app to handle your divorce? Believe it or not, big tech is trying to convince spouses in California that they can handle their divorces effectively from their home computers or phones. As you will see, many of these apps have serious shortcomings.
Robot Lawyer in California Almost Sends Founders to Jail
In January of 2023, the founders of a “robot lawyer” ended up in serious trouble. The New York startup was advertising itself as a legitimate lawyer powered by AI. But as many users soon discovered, the results were less than ideal. At this point, the founder announced that the robot lawyer would be making its debut in court, representing a defendant in a traffic ticket case. However, prosecutors quickly threatened the CEO of the startup with jail time if he actually followed through with this – prompting the robot lawyer to stay out of the courtroom. At one point, the CEO was even threatened with six months behind bars.
One user attempted to use the robot lawyer to generate a number of legal documents – including a Divorce Settlement Agreement. She later stated:
“There is literally nothing AI about this. This is a straight-up plug-and-chug document wizard, and it is not well done at all. Let me be clear: this is a terrible demand letter. Absolutely terrible. Useless or worse than useless — if an actual attorney saw this, she would instantly know that the sender was unsophisticated, unrepresented, and gullible af.”
Later in March of 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the app, alleging that the service was involved in the unauthorized practice of law. The lawsuit also claims that the app is harming customers by preying on those who cannot afford lawyers and providing them with “substandard” and “poor” legal services. Filed on March 3rd, the suit also claims that the app violates California’s unfair competition protection law. A statement taken from the lawsuit reads:
“Unfortunately for its customers. DoNotPay is not actually a robot, a lawyer, nor a law firm. DoNotPay does not have a law degree, is not barred in any jurisdiction, and is not supervised by any lawyer. DoNotPay is merely a website with a repository of—unfortunately, substandard—legal documents that at best fills in a legal adlib based on information input by customers.”
Rely on a Divorce Attorney in California Instead
For best results, it makes sense to ditch the apps and rely on a real divorce attorney in California instead. For the best possible results, book a consultation with Knez Law Group, LLP. Over the years, we have helped numerous divorcing spouses in the Golden State, and we can guide you toward positive outcomes quickly and effectively. Reach out today to get started and finalize your divorce alongside a real legal professional.
Matthew J. Knez graduated from the University of Redlands in California where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing. He went on to pursue his Law Degree at the University of LaVerne, College of Law in Ontario, California. While pursuing his law degree he earned various awards, including CALI Award in Torts and he was on the Dean’s List. Mr. Knez was also a member of the Justice and Immigration Clinic where he worked with people seeking asylum into the United States from countries where they had experienced persecution or threat of persecution. Additionally, Mr. Knez was a member of Law Review where he was an Associate Editor and published a Law Review article on California family custody move-away cases.