For Rohan Pavuluri, co-founder of bankruptcy service tool Upsolve, the dearth of legal aid for low-income Americans is a pervasive reality. “There will always be more people who seek a free legal aid lawyer to help them than there are legal aid lawyers available,” he said.

The problem is particularly acute with bankruptcy, where “at least 10 times more people would benefit from bankruptcy than those who file,” he added.