New Website Makes Responding to Collection Lawsuits Easier for Consumers

An article today in Fast Company profiled a website called SoloSuit, which helps debtors respond to a lawsuit. The site was developed by students at the Brigham Young University Law School. The group wanted to pick one area of the law where they could make a difference for non-lawyers; they selected debt collection.

The problem, the students described, is that when a consumer is sued by a collector, they must respond quickly -- otherwise they will automatically lose the case. But most people don't respond because they don't know how. The law students noted that it isn’t hard to do so, but the complaint document doesn’t provide clear direction.

The class underwent training in design thinking, interviewed debtors, mapped out the process, and then started programming.

The website home page is extremely straightforward. It looks like this:

A debtor who has received a complaint answers a series of simple questions and then generates a document they can submit. The site also provides a list of local sources where they can find pro bono legal assistance.

Currently SoloSuit only helps consumers who have been sued for a debt in Utah, however the article says the software will soon expand to cover other states.

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