Arizona Law Student Wins Innovation Challenge, Receives Funding for Online Arbitration Tool

Aug. 7, 2020
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Arizona Law exterior at dusk

Benjamin Daley, a 3L student at University of Arizona Law, has been selected by Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) as one of the winners of the Student Innovation Challenge for his online small claims arbitration concept. Daly was one of five students awarded with funding from TLA to develop his concept with the goal of bringing it to the public.  

Daley talked about how the motivation for his idea came from a problem he experienced in his personal life. 

“My landlord was violating the terms of our lease agreement, and when I moved out, he threatened to charge me a lease termination fee,” he said. While he considered a lawsuit, Daley recognized that it did not make economic sense to file a claim in court. “I realized that for individuals with small claims under $2,500, there is no venue to have their issue resolved. So, I was motivated to develop a way for people to resolve small claims at a low cost and in a simple manner.” 

He went on to talk about the opportunity that this funding was opening for him and his future: “I felt great knowing that my concept piqued the judges' interest, and it encouraged me to dive into making my vision a reality.” 

Open to both undergraduate and graduate students, the Student Innovation Challenge is modeled after TLA’s Asset Development program, which provides funds to UArizona employees to develop early-stage inventions and ready them for commercialization.  

Through the Student Innovation Challenge, student inventors go through a similar process, including filling out invention disclosures, working with TLA on intellectual property protection, and all the details that go into asset development and commercialization planning.