A2J Author vs LawHelp Interactive
A2J Author
a2jauthor.orgLawHelp Interactive
lawhelpinteractive.orgSide by side
| Figure | A2J Author | LawHelp Interactive |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Legal Forms Software | 8.0 (#11) | 7.4 (#21) |
| Integrations | The product history describes compatibility with LawHelp Interactive and HotDocs for assembling guided interviews with document templates. | Legal aid organizations and courts can upload interviews created with HotDocs and A2J Author; LHI also supports Neota Logic formats. |
| Purpose | A2J Author lets non-technical court, legal services, and law school staff build web-based guided interviews that help self-represented litigants complete court documents. | LawHelp Interactive guides users through questions and uses their answers to prepare legal forms and documents. |
| Support | The site provides a technical-problems contact form that requires users to log in or register to view it. | Users can submit support requests for general inquiries, technical errors, or problems navigating the site; LHI says it does not provide legal advice or referrals. |
Plans
In their own words
A2J Author
A2J Author lets court, legal services, and law school staff create web-based guided interviews to help self-represented litigants complete court documents. Authors use a graphical flowchart map to arrange dialogue and branching questions. Document tools include a template automator for basic documents and the A2J Document Assembly Tool for creating templates. CALI offers free hosting on A2J.org for interviews and templates intended to assist litigants; organizations can also self-host the A2J Viewer, A2J DAT, and interviews. The system is browser-based, and the project history says version 7.0 opened the source under the GNU Affero General Public License. Authors can create Section 508 and WCAG2-compliant interviews when using the latest Viewer and following the accessibility checklist. The free plan is for legal aid organizations, government entities, courts, and other nonprofits using the software non-commercially, with a registered and authenticated account. HotDocs templates cannot be published on A2J.org. When self-hosting, generating documents from HotDocs templates requires LawHelp Interactive or a HotDocs server.
LawHelp Interactive
LawHelp Interactive is a free web service that turns guided answers into legal forms and documents. People can begin without an account, but registration is required to save work for later. Users can save, edit, email, and print documents, with electronic filing available in some states. Forms address child support and custody, domestic violence, debt collection, foreclosure, eviction, divorce, guardianship, simple wills, small-estate probate, and expungement. Availability depends on state and legal issue, and users may be sent to partner sites. Attorneys, volunteers, and advocates can review client answers, manage case files, and collaborate with clients. Legal aid organizations and courts can upload interviews made with HotDocs or A2J Author, and Neota Logic formats are supported. Communications and stored answer files are encrypted, alongside administrative, software, and physical safeguards. The service does not provide legal advice or referrals. Forms are not currently supported on mobile devices or tablets.