Danae Shell - How Valla is changing access to justice

In this episode of the Your Law Firm Success podcast, Stephen Moore interviews Danae Shell, co-founder of Valla, a disruptive employment law service that leverages technology and generative AI to improve access to justice.

Danae shares her journey from software engineering to legal tech, the evolution of Valla's business model, and how social media, particularly TikTok, has driven user engagement and awareness. The conversation explores the changing landscape of legal services, the role of generative AI, and the future of self-representation in employment law.

00:00 Introduction to Valla and Danae Shell 02:48 Danae's background and the birth of Valla 05:54 The evolution of Valla's business model 08:48 Growth and user engagement through social media 11:52 Leveraging TikTok for legal awareness 15:00 The future of legal services and Valla's vision 17:51 Generative AI's role in legal services 21:13 The changing landscape of employment law 24:03 Conclusion and future directions for Valla

Takeaways

• Valla aims to provide access to justice using technology. Danae's background in software engineering influenced Valla's creation.
• The initial focus was on discrimination cases in employment law.
• Social media, especially TikTok, has been crucial for user engagement.
• Generative AI is transforming the efficiency of legal services.
• The legal industry is moving towards unbundled services for consumers.
• Self-representation is becoming more common in employment law cases.
• Danae emphasises the importance of addressing consumer uncertainty.
• Valla's model allows users to interact directly with the legal system.
• The future of legal services will involve more consumer-driven solutions.