Someone gets served with a lawsuit. They read the papers and don’t understand the deadline, the claims, or what court they’re supposed to show up in. That’s the situation Courtroom5 was built to help with.
On September 17, Courtroom5 is now available in ChatGPT Enterprise. Most of what’s launching that day is built for law firms and legal technology vendors. Courtroom5 is there for a different reason: our free app inside ChatGPT gives people plain-English litigation guidance at no cost, in all 50 states.
Most people in civil court don’t have a lawyer
Nearly 80% of people in U.S. civil court represent themselves. Not because their case doesn’t matter, but because a lawyer isn’t affordable and legal aid can’t cover everyone who needs it.
Civil procedure doesn’t make exceptions for people who don’t know the rules. Miss a deadline to respond and the other side can win by default. File in the wrong court and the case gets dismissed. Submit the wrong form and you’re sent back to start over.
Most people don’t lose civil cases because they were wrong. They lose because no one told them the rules. Courtroom5 has spent years fixing that. We’ve helped more than 12,000 self-represented litigants handle their cases, in every state.
What the app does
The Courtroom5 app gives ChatGPT three tools.
Case intake assessment. Describe what’s happening in your own words. The tool identifies which legal claims may apply, tells you which court handles your case, and gives you first steps.
Deadline calculator. Tell it what just happened — you were served, a motion was filed, an order came down — and it returns your actual deadlines, when they’re due, and what happens if you miss them. Initial coverage includes the 15 most active states for civil litigation, with full 50-state coverage rolling out.
Next-step guidance. If you’re already in a case, this tool tells you the two or three things that matter most right now, based on your case stage, your role, and your state.
The app covers civil matters — landlord-tenant disputes, debt collection, foreclosure, wrongful termination, wage claims, medical malpractice, contract disputes, small claims, personal injury, and family civil matters — and answers at an 8th-grade reading level. It doesn’t require an account or any sign-up, and it doesn’t cover criminal cases, immigration, bankruptcy, or matters outside the United States.
How to use it
- Open ChatGPT at chatgpt.com
- Click the Apps icon in the left sidebar
- Search for “Courtroom5” and click Enable
- Start a new chat and describe your situation, including the state you’re in
You don’t need to know legal terms. For example: “My landlord in North Carolina kept my entire security deposit after I moved out. What can I do?” or “I was served with a debt collection lawsuit in California on April 10. How long do I have to respond?” ChatGPT will pick the right tool automatically. If it answers from general knowledge instead, mention Courtroom5 by name in your prompt to make sure the app is called.
Who built this
Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone founded Courtroom5 after each went through civil litigation without a lawyer. We built the company around what we needed and couldn’t find.
Courtroom5 is a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. The American Bar Association recognized our work with its Women of Legal Tech award. More than 12,000 people have used Courtroom5 to handle civil cases in every state.
What’s beyond the plugin
The app covers the basics: assessing a case, tracking deadlines, and figuring out next steps. For people who want full case strategy, documents built for their specific situation, and guidance through every stage of a case, the LAW Accelerator™ goes further. It’s a complete system: Land every fact, mapping your evidence to what the law requires so you know what you can prove and where the gaps are; Act, don’t react, using AI tools that show you where you stand and what to file next, before the other side moves; and Win before you walk in, doing the research, drafting, and arguing that attorneys do before you ever set foot in court. Courtroom5 now covers more than 140 U.S. jurisdictions and has helped prepare more than 250,000 court documents.
If you’re facing civil court without a lawyer, you don’t need to know legal terms. Just open ChatGPT, enable Courtroom5, and describe what’s happening.
