FosterPower Earns "Runner Up" in 2024 American Legal Technology Awards

The American Legal Technology Awards announced Bay Area Legal Services' FosterPower as "Runner Up" in the Access to Justice Category.

The American Legal Technology Awards mission to hold up examples of excellence in creative innovation and technology in the legal industry for the purposes of expanding our understanding of what is possible, encouraging a virtuous cycle of improvement, and creating a more just society. With 232 submissions and judged by over 20 legal tech leaders, FosterPower is among 25 winners in 2024, including courts, law schools, software, law firms, attorneys, and legal professionals. The access to justice category is awarded to an organization or individual who has made a difference by helping the underserved access the legal system through the use of technology.

FosterPower is a movement to improve the lives and futures of youth in foster care by creating access to information on their benefits, protections, and legal rights. The award-winning free app and website give Florida's foster youth access to easy, digestible information about their benefits, protections, and legal rights (independent living, medical health, education, the court process, placement, protections for LGBTQ+ youth, monetary allowance, and more). It also includes 40 short-form TikTok-style videos sharing the experiences of former youth in foster care. In addition, FosterPower provides in-person and virtual training for youth in foster care and adults (child welfare professionals, judges, attorneys, foster parents, etc.) on children's legal rights while they remain in care.

Since launching in May 2023, FosterPower has reached over 4,000 app downloads, 10,000 website users, 100,000 video views, and trained over 400 youth in foster care and adults (child welfare professionals, judges, attorneys, foster parents, etc.) on children's legal rights while they remain in care. FosterPower's impact has garnered praise from members of Congress; it has earned recognition from various national and statewide media outlets, including NPR's All Things Considered, theSkimm, The Annie E. Casey Foundation blog, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and several news channels throughout Florida; and it has received multiple awards, such as the 2024 Tampa Bay Inno Awards, the 2024 InnovAction Award by the College of Law Practice Management, and the 2023 Florida's Children First "Outstanding Non-Profit Champion for Children" Award.

The FosterPower team includes Taylor Sartor (creator, co-founder, and legal director), Rastko Durica (co-founder and product manager), Mary Rose Maloney (human trafficking project manager), David Gray (co-founder and business director), and Heather Tager (co-founder and advisor).

FosterPower is a program created and managed by Bay Area Legal Services, and funded by the Legal Services Corporation, Community Foundation Tampa Bay, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, and private donors.

Learn more about the annual American Legal Technology Awards.

2024 American Legal Technology Awards Winners:

Access to Justice

• JusticeText
• Foster Power
• The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)

Court

• Legal Accountability Project (LAP)
• Administrative Office of the Kentucky Courts
• eCourtDate

Education

• The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)
• April Dawson
• Skillburst Interactive

Enterprise

• BigHand
• ModeOne
• UniCourt

Individual

• Aliza Shatzman
• Sateesh Nori
• Vivian Nguyen

Journalism

• Stephanie Wilkins
• Bob Ambrogi
• Victor Li

Law Firm

• BCLP
• Ashley Picker Dubin
• Lyda Law Firm

Startup

• ECourtDate
• Descrybe.ai
• Illuminote

Artificial Intelligence

• Gen from Visalaw
• Charlie Hernandez
• Descrybe.ai

Lifetime Achievement

• Dennis Kennedy