Across the United States, tens of thousands of civil cases languish each year, slowed by outdated systems and high entry costs that prevent access to representation. For many, the wait for legal help is not measured in hours or days, but in months or years. This inefficiency has become intolerable in a society that expects near-instant digital solutions in nearly every other sphere of life. Yet despite growing discontent, the legal industry has remained among the most resistant to adopting new technology.
By 2025, the conversation about law and automation had turned urgent. According to Thomson Reuters, more than three-quarters of U.S. legal professionals now believe artificial intelligence will have a “transformative impact” on their work within five years. These figures suggest not only growth, but a long-overdue transformation of how legal help is delivered.
Within this evolution sits YesLawyer — a digital legal startup that combines automated intake systems with attorney-led review. Its model is straightforward but disruptive: connect clients to licensed lawyers in hours instead of weeks.
A Startup Tackling Law’s Time Problem
Founded by Robert Epstein, YesLawyer was built on a premise that time, not talent, is law’s most scarce resource. Using algorithms to triage and match cases, its system has served nearly 15,000 clients since launch. From employment disputes to family law consultations, plaintiffs describe reaching lawyers within the same day - a timeline few traditional firms can match.
The firm’s founder draws from unlikely backgrounds. Epstein, a 25-year-old summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in finance and computer science, sees law through a technical lens. Epstein explained that, “The problem isn’t that lawyers don’t want to help more people. It’s that their systems make it impossible to scale human attention.”
Automation, Oversight, and the Margin for Error
The line between legal technology platforms and law firms has always been thin. YesLawyer identifies as a technology company, not a law firm, which allows it to serve as a connector between clients and independent attorneys. The distinction matters legally, but it also raises the question of responsibility. Who ensures that automated tools remain compliant across jurisdictions? Who verifies data used in case matching?
The company maintains that quality control is built into its processes. Licensing checks, document review, and conflict screenings all feed through AI systems before any lawyer engagement occurs. Attorneys on the platform then advise clients directly, producing written case plans and price estimates. The company’s 4.6-star public rating suggests many clients find value in this balance of automation and human counsel.
Still, regulatory experts remain cautious. A 2025 SmartAdvocate report warned that the “unauthorized practice of law” remains a significant risk for startups bridging AI and direct client service. The report noted that even the most advanced platforms must reinforce transparency to satisfy ethical standards. To this point, Epstein has expressed realism rather than defensiveness: “AI doesn’t excuse mistakes, it exposes them faster. The challenge is building systems that correct those errors before they affect people.”
A Glimpse of Justice, Accelerated
The future suggested by YesLawyer is not one of total mechanization, but of targeted interventions, where plaintiffs navigate fewer obstacles, lawyers deploy their expertise precisely, and only the slowest, most tradition-bound aspects of legal culture are left behind. The case for AI in law, as YesLawyer illustrates, is about restoring the speed, clarity, and scale that justice has always promised but rarely delivered.
Media Contact
Frank Leonardo
press@yeslawyer.com
