A2J Author

A2J Author is a guided-interview and document-assembly tool for organizations serving people who represent themselves in court. It suits legal aid groups, courts, government bodies and law schools with the capacity to build and support their own interviews. Its free, public-interest model is a strong fit, but HotDocs and hosting requirements can shape the workflow.

Overview

A2J Author helps staff turn legal processes into web-based interviews that guide users through court documents. The graphical flowchart map makes branching dialogue accessible to non-technical authors, but the product is for creating guided processes, not browsing a ready-made library of legal forms. The project dates to 2004; version 5.0 made authoring a cloud-based web service, and version 7.0 opened the source under the GNU Affero General Public License.

Key features

Interview authoring

Authors map dialogue and branching questions visually. This gives court and legal services teams a way to structure interviews without building a conventional software application, while leaving the substantive work of designing a useful interview to the organization.

Document assembly

The A2J Document Assembly Tool supports template creation, and version 6.0 added a template automator for basic documents. Custom templates, fillable PDFs and PDF downloads support a document-focused workflow. Compatibility with HotDocs and LawHelp Interactive can connect interviews to document assembly, but HotDocs templates cannot be published on A2J.org. Organizations self-hosting A2J components need LawHelp Interactive or a HotDocs server to generate documents from HotDocs templates.

Hosting and accessibility

CALI provides free A2J.org hosting for interviews and A2J templates intended to help self-represented litigants. Organizations can instead self-host the A2J Viewer, DAT and interviews, which offers an alternative when they want to manage hosting themselves. Authors can create Section 508- and WCAG2-compliant interviews using the latest Viewer and following the accessibility checklist; accessibility therefore depends on using that version and applying the checklist.

Pricing

The A2J Author plan costs nothing. It is free for legal aid organizations, government entities, courts and other nonprofits for non-commercial use, with a registered and authenticated account required. That makes it a compelling option for eligible public-interest organizations; commercial use is outside the stated terms. No paid A2J Author plan is described.

The free price does not remove the practical hosting and document-generation constraints: A2J.org excludes HotDocs templates, and self-hosted HotDocs generation requires LawHelp Interactive or a HotDocs server. Organizations should choose their template and hosting workflow accordingly.

Platforms

A2J Author is available as a web service and supports self-hosting. The authoring system supports current Chrome, Safari and Firefox; its browser guidance was last updated in August 2019. The product history describes version 5.0 as cloud-based and browser-run, alongside the later opening of the source under the GNU Affero General Public License.

Who it's for

A2J Author is best suited to eligible legal aid organizations, courts, government entities and nonprofits building interviews for self-represented litigants, as well as law schools working on those processes. It is less suitable for commercial users or organizations that need HotDocs publishing on A2J.org or want document generation without arranging the required service or server.

The privacy policy says the websites use industry-standard security measures and notes that users may enter sensitive information, including Social Security numbers and domestic violence history. The maker accepts vulnerability reports by email but does not run an active bug bounty or reward program. Technical-problem support is offered through a contact form that requires users to log in or register to view it.

Pros and cons

Pros

• No-cost access for eligible organizations: the plan is free for qualifying public-interest entities using it non-commercially.
• Visual interview planning: a flowchart map lets non-technical staff design dialogue and branching questions.
• Flexible deployment: organizations can use CALI's free hosting for qualifying content or self-host A2J components.
• Document and accessibility support: template tools, fillable PDFs and a path to Section 508 and WCAG2-compliant interviews support court-document workflows.

Cons

• Eligibility and use restrictions: the free plan requires an authenticated account and is limited to listed organizations using it for non-commercial purposes.
• HotDocs constraints: HotDocs templates cannot be published on A2J.org, and self-hosted HotDocs document generation requires LawHelp Interactive or a HotDocs server.
• Support access requires an account: users must log in or register to view the technical-problems contact form.
• Accessibility requires care: compliance depends on the latest Viewer and following the accessibility checklist.

Alternatives

For a broader set of legal-form options, browse Legal Forms Software.

• Docassemble is a free, self-hosted option with Linux, web and API platforms; choose it if you want self-hosted software and can account for hosting, typically $10–$40 per month or more depending on performance, availability and support needs.
• LawHelp Interactive offers free legal forms and account registration; consider it when that free forms service better matches your need than building interviews with A2J Author.
• Trust & Will has a free Basic membership for estate-plan creation without ongoing membership, plus an Essentials membership at $49 a year; choose it for that estate-planning offering rather than an interview-building system.
• FreeWill offers free estate-planning tools, including a Last Will & Testament, a California Revocable Living Trust, an Advance Healthcare Directive and a Financial Power of Attorney; it is an alternative for people seeking those tools.
• Will.com offers four state-specific documents with PDF download on its free plan, with documents generated in-browser and no account required; its paid plan costs $29 a year. Consider it for that individual document workflow.
• eForms provides a seven-day free trial with unlimited access to its documents and renews at $49 a month after the trial; it may suit users who want to try a document service rather than build guided interviews.
• Dokuily has a free tier for common simple documents, unlimited clean downloads for free documents and three paid-eligible completions included during launch; consider it for simple document completion.
• Avvoka is another option for readers comparing document software.

Verdict

Choose A2J Author if your eligible organization wants to build guided interviews for self-represented litigants and can work within its template, hosting and account requirements. Its free plan and visual authoring make it a focused public-interest tool; look elsewhere if you need commercial use, a ready-made forms service or unrestricted HotDocs publishing on A2J.org.