In a nation where a broken taillight can become a life-altering event, one legal-technology startup is proposing a radical idea: bring a lawyer into the encounter before the handcuffs click.
The Stop
The flashing lights appear in the rearview mirror just after 10:42 p.m.
A driver in Atlanta is pulled over for an expired registration. The violation is minor, but history has shown that even low-level traffic stops can escalate into arrests, vehicle searches, and, in the worst cases, violence. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, tens of millions of Americans have police-initiated contact each year, and Black drivers are searched at disproportionately higher rates despite often being no more likely to possess contraband.
Tonight, however, something is different.
On the rear windshield is a distinctive decal:
GoVia Highlight A Hero
Beneath the words is a QR code and a message:
“This citizen has been pre-qualified for court-appointed counsel. Scan to connect live with a Public Defender.”
The officer scans the code.
Within seconds, a licensed attorney appears on a secure Zoom call. The video is recorded, encrypted, and stored in a tamper-evident digital evidence vault. The attorney observes in real time, advising the driver and documenting the interaction. If the stop leads to arrest, the footage can be transmitted directly to the local public defender office and preserved for court.
What once began as an ordinary roadside encounter has become a legally supervised event.
And if GoVia succeeds, this scene may one day unfold in all 50 states.
