Isfundiar Kasuri is the founder at Vakeel Online and is an experienced team leader working in Pakistan’s ed-tech and legal-tech space. Skilled in stakeholder management, team leadership, he specializes in connecting the people who create social impact, across the various tiers of stakeholders. He has experience in project management, working with international NGOs, programme implementation, and government liaison. Isfundiar Kasuri is a strong programme and project management professional with over a decade of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors of Pakistan.

Following are the edited transcripts of a recent conversation of BR Research with Isfundiar Kasuri:

BR Research: What is the vision and idea behind Vakeel Online? When was it formed and what has been the progress so far?

Isfundiar Kasuri: Vakeel Online was built to serve a single purpose, to transform access to justice for millions of Pakistanis, to enable them to access quality legal service at rates they can afford and to improve public trust in legal institutions. The project’s central aim is an improved human rights regime, greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the legal system, and to bring Pakistan’s justice system closer to fulfilling the requirements for UN SDG 16.3.

In some ways, the initiative’s success has exceeded our own expectations. In terms of growth, engagement has grown exponentially with time. Vakeel Online now exists across multiple social media platforms and has a website and a digital app. While the concept has been demonstrably successful, institutional resistance to change (internal and external) pose the greatest challenge to achieving the goal of building a vibrant digital legal marketplace that becomes the digital legal content hub for Pakistan.

BRR: How would you describe the importance of technology in the legal system? What kind of reforms do you think technology and innovation can bring in the legal system of the country?

IK: Technology is a game changer for Pakistan. Whether it is in the shape of a legal marketplace that allows litigants to find legal representation at rates they can afford, through the introduction of online Alternate Dispute Resolution platforms, Case Management Systems, Digitalization of the Courts, Online Adjournments or e-Courts, the possibilities are truly endless. The transparency, accountability and efficiency that are part and parcel of effective legal-tech solutions will not just reduce the bottleneck of cases in the court, it will help build capacity of legal practitioners and it will transform the way in which citizen access justice. In effect, the effective introduction of legal technology will strengthen public trust in the legal institutions of Pakistan. On the flip side, to succumb to institutional resistance to change on this, is to render Pakistan’s legal system extinct – a write off. In the words of Khozem Haidermota, “if we don’t change the way we do things within the next three to four years, we will be disrupted.”

BRR: What areas of the legal system and justice do you target, and what areas do you see to have the most potential for Vakeel Online?

IK: Vakeel Online aims to serve every citizen of Pakistan that wishes to enhance their legal awareness or to procure the services of a lawyer, at rates that they can afford. It is nothing less than a democratization project. In fact, the platform aims to serve regular people, in the resolution of their legal challenges. Most of the platform users need assistance on family matters, ranging from divorce to custody and inheritance. However, there is huge potential to explore in relation to tax matters, real estate, immigration and corporate law, which has yet to be tapped.

BRR: Do you think your platform and legal tech, in general, can specifically help women seeking justice?

IK: Legal-tech is often seen as a great equalizer. Our platform serves women in two ways. Firstly, it allows women in need of legal assistance to obtain it from the comfort of their home, thereby improving access to justice exponentially. They are able to learn about their legal rights and obtain legal services discreetly. On the flip side, the platform offers female legal practitioners a more level playing field, based on merit by demonstrating legal acumen, to win clients and develop successful practices without having to brave the challenges that the Katcheri system poses to women lawyers.

BRR: The legal system in Pakistan still heavily relies on paperwork. How much of a challenge is this for you? What other hurdles are you facing?

IK: The greatest challenge to platforms like ours, that increase transparency and improve efficiency, comes from institutional resistance to change. The “paper” based system that is outdated by more than a few decades remains not because we are too lazy to create efficiency but because of the financial corruption that is made possible by a system that lacks transparency. Overcoming this structural resistance is the key to building a Digital Legal Pakistan. This change must be driven by consumers, and legal tech platforms must be designed to exponentially enhance the user experience and to solve their problems more efficiently. Once this happens, legal practitioners and the courts will naturally begin to gravitate to where the consumers are. Demand must drive supply.

BRR: Do you also provide any discussion opportunity on or off your portal where those seeking legal solutions can post their queries?

IK: Most people in Pakistan have limited to no interaction with the law. That is, until they face a legal challenge that they cannot ignore. By this time, it is often too late to address the legal issue in a manner that produces an ideal outcome for the litigant. One of the things our platform does is to encourage citizens to inquire freely about their legal rights, and for countless other to surf the large database of questions and answers, catering to a whole range of legal inquiries. In this way, Vakeel Online is arming the citizens of Pakistan with legal awareness using the digital medium. A citizen simply asks a question, and moments later several lawyers answer it for them, and at no cost.

BRR: What are your plans going forward?

IK: Vakeel Online, as it is, is a pro bono platform, funded by an NGO. While that sounds nice, digital portals cannot scale impact without a focus on developing a sustainable business model. Moreover, for it to succeed as a pro bono portal, it is essential that it be monetized and become a one stop shop for legal services provided not just by the platform itself, but by countless other legal service providers. Anything less than this, will ensure that it never grows beyond the limited vision, scope and scale of a mom and pop shop. Whatever happens with Vakeel Online in the future, the team behind its creation remains dedicated to the goal of democratizing the provision of legal services in Pakistan and we will do it – soon!