A legal mobile office and mobile AI platform are two of the seven finalists from Southern Africa who will compete for the R300 000 grand prize in the HiiL Innovating Justice Accelerator (HJA).

The HJA is an international business acceleration programme designed to help startups in the field of legal and justice innovation. Through the Justice Accelerator, HiiL seeks out and supports companies and individuals who are turning the tools of technology onto the challenges of access to justice around the world.

The seven semi finalists will pitch for a R75 000 prize at the Innovating Justice Boostcamp Johannesburg in October. From the seven, two startups will be selected to receive up to R300 000 as part of the HJA’s full accelerator track.

The semi-finalists are:

• Environmental Justice Reporting App (Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association) – Zimbabwe: The know, monitor and report mobile app on environmental rights in Zimbabwe.

• Mobile Corruption Reporting App (Transparency International: Zimbabwe) – Zimbabwe: A mobile application which will provide citizens especially the youth with a platform to report cases of corruption anonymously.

• Road Rules- Zimbabwe: A mobile app that is revolutionising the way people acquire driver’s licenses and help motorists fight traffic police corruption in Zimbabwe.

• Lady Liberty- South Africa: A ‘first in South Africa’ mobile legal office, taking law to marginalised women by traveling to poor remote areas and virtually by using mobile technology.

• NuvaLaw SME- South Africa: NuvaLaw is a LegalTech startup that resolves claims and disputes by processing legal information efficiently.

• Comic Contracts- South Africa: Creating legally binding visual contracts for vulnerable people to reduce contract inequality, improve understanding and align mutual expectations.

• MoLLy- South Africa: MoLLy is mobile artificial intelligence, which aggregates and organises existing legal knowledge onto devices and serves as a legal library/resource.

“We were overwhelmed by the sheer number and quality of applications we received as a result of our Call for Innovations in Southern Africa this year,” said Justice Accelerator head Wilfried de Wever. “Drawing up a shortlist was tough. But we wish all of our semi-finalists the best of luck and hope to expand our programme in the region to support more organisations on a local level next year.”