Hi, it's Pierce Brosnan here.

Guest hosting today on TED Talks Daily.

Here's an incredible TED fellow talk given by legal entrepreneur Rohan Pavaluri

about tech innovations in legal literacy and the fight for justice for everyone,

not just people who can afford it.

I'm going to start by telling you a story about Danielle.

When she was a senior in college, Danielle's dad passed away, which left her mom with no way to support herself.

So Danielle had to drop out of college and pick up three jobs as a barista, a bartender, and a car washer.

Altogether, the three jobs paid Danielle $23,000 per year, which wasn't a whole lot, but it allowed her to feed her mom and keep a roof

over their head. And for Danielle, that was enough. But early one morning, when Danielle was driving

home from one of her jobs, a deer ran in front of her car. She swerved off the road and crashed

into a barn. Now, Danielle doesn't remember exactly what happened next, but when she woke

up in a hospital a few hours later, a doctor told her that she had damaged her brainstem and C1

vertebrae. Now, the good news is that Danielle was going to leave the hospital alive, but the bad

news is that Danielle had $55,000 in medical bills.

Now, Danielle tried so hard for the next two years to try and pay back that debt, but it was impossible.

It was impossible for Danielle to pay back $55,000 in medical bills earning just $23,000 per year.

She felt trapped.

One freak accident put Danielle on the verge of homelessness, hunger, and poverty.

And when you're in Danielle's shoes, bankruptcy is a lifeline.

It's a powerful legal tool that allows you to relieve your debt and reenter the economy.

A medical emergency, a job loss, a divorce.

...