subpoenAI.tech

Inspiration

The legal system can be intimidating and inaccessible. I created SubpoenAI after watching friends struggle with everyday legal issues simply because they couldn't understand complex legal language or afford an attorney. Everyone deserves access to legal information in language they can understand.

What it does

SubpoenAI uses artificial intelligence to translate complex legal situations into straightforward advice and actionable steps. Users can get help understanding rental agreements, interpreting traffic citations, preparing for small claims court, deciphering contracts, navigating consumer rights, and understanding employment laws—all without legal jargon.

How I built it

I built SubpoenAI using React for the frontend and Node.js for the backend. The core intelligence comes from integrating the Gemini API, which I've fine-tuned with specific prompts for different legal scenarios. Each module (like the Small Claims Court Preparation Assistant or Traffic Ticket Helper) has specialized prompting strategies to generate relevant, jurisdiction-specific advice.

Challenges I ran into

The biggest challenge was ensuring accuracy while maintaining simplicity. Legal advice varies dramatically by jurisdiction, so I had to develop a system that could provide location-specific guidance while always being clear about its limitations. Creating prompts that generate consistently helpful responses without overstepping into unauthorized practice of law required careful testing and refinement.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm particularly proud of the document generation feature, which creates customized letters and forms based on user inputs. The jurisdiction-specific guidance system also turned out well—it can adjust advice based on state, county, and even city-level regulations for issues like tenant rights and traffic citations.

What I learned

This project taught me the importance of prompt engineering for specialized domains like law. I discovered that providing specific examples and clear constraints to the AI produced dramatically better results than open-ended questions. I also learned how to balance technical capability with ethical responsibility when developing tools that influence real-world decisions.

What's next for subpoenAI.tech

The immediate next step is expanding our jurisdiction database to cover more local regulations. I'm also working on a document upload feature that would let users scan their legal documents (leases, citations, contracts) for instant analysis. Long-term, I want to add a lawyer referral network to connect users with affordable legal help when AI assistance isn't enough.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Built With

• gemini
• nextjs
• react
• typescript