The son of Iranian immigrants who fled the country due to persecution, Nima Ostowari, Pritzker School of Law ‘25 and Founder of JusticeArch, always knew he wanted to start a company. Ostowari said that his experience as a child of immigrants has informed how he perceives justice in the world and motivated him to pursue a career in public service.
Now in his second year of law school, Ostowari is aiming to address legal injustices that he’s encountered during his career.
Instead of relying on a system that he believes is flawed, Ostowari took matters into his own hands, creating a company specifically designed to target the inequities he noticed.
According to Ostowari, one major issue in the U.S. legal system is that individuals don’t always know how to discern which attorney is right for them.
JusticeArch helps match users with attorneys who align with the legal issue they are experiencing.
“JusticeArch is part of a broader mission to bridge the justice gap using business-driven digital solutions,” Ostowari said. “It does that by simplifying the process by which a person can find an attorney that’s right for them.”
Users answer a series of questions to provide context on their legal issue. Next, the context is sent to pre-vetted attorneys, who contact users if they think they can help. It is up to the user to determine which attorney they will match with.
Ostowari said he has done everything in his power to get his product up and running so he can begin to help people.
“It’s really important that I move fast and move quickly to get products out there as quickly as possible,” Ostowari said. “I’ve used whatever intelligence I’ve got to push as hard as we can push as fast as I can.”
Medill junior and Business Strategy Intern Ian Lei, who joined the JusticeArch team in October agrees that it is important to keep moving quickly in the world of entrepreneurship.
According to Lei, the most difficult part of starting a company is not having a prescribed outline of what to do next.
“You’ve just got to keep trying,” Lei said. “Just keep pushing. Even if we take baby steps, we’re still working towards something bigger.”
McCormick freshman Jasmine Ong is a Product Intern at JusticeArch.
Ong said her experience as an international student from the Philippines helped her recognize legal inequities.
“I think that accessible legal services, as much as it is needed, it’s a reality that it’s not something that’s present in a lot of countries,” Ong said. “Even in the United States, which is a first-world country, there is a large disparity. Anything that can help lessen the gap between people who are not as well off to get the legal services that they need is really important.
After the legal entity of JusticeArch was formed in May, Ostowari began to work with a contractor in the Czech Republic to develop JusticeArch’s website, while starting to develop his team and think critically about leadership and how to motivate people.
Ostowari’s current focus is generating user flow to the product.
While JusticeArch is in its early stages, Ostowari hopes it will go on to change the entire legal landscape of America. His goals include increasing access to attorneys and reducing the costs of legal services.
“It’s that broad vision in mind that informs a lot of what we do, but you can’t just be distracted by the pie-in-the-sky vision, you got to be focused on the near-term things,” Ostowari said. “Those are the things that we’re obsessively focused on, while keeping that broader vision in mind.”
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @lmschroeder_
Related Stories:
— Pritzker students in J.D.-Ph.D. program take interdisciplinary approach to law and research
— Alum Richard Chesley shares corporate law journey, advice for pre-law students and aspiring lawyers
