With a dual mission of leveraging technology to power access to justice and exposing law students to different legal services roles, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) on Aug. 23 named Pocket VAWA Self-Petitions its first Justice Innovation Challenge winner.

Pocket VAWA Self-Petitions is the brainchild of 3L Columbia Law School student Emilie Schwarz, whose prize included $15,000. Pocket VAWA Self-Petitions assists immigrant domestic violence survivors in filing Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions for legal status in the U.S. After completing the web portal’s questionnaire, the applicant is informed if they are eligible for VAWA, the types of evidence needed to file a VAWA petition and a timeline of the petition process.