LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 27, 2026--
Los Angeles lawyering is often associated with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. The reality, however, is that many firms handle cases that are far from glamorous but make a meaningful difference in the lives of everyday people. This is especially true for personal injury (PI) cases which can provide life-changing settlements for clients who would not otherwise have a voice. AI technology is helping these firms serve more clients better and provide greater access to justice in the L.A. area.
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A perfect example is J&Y Law, an award-winning Los Angeles-based PI firm founded 15 years ago by Jason B. Javaheri and Yosi Yahoudai. J&Y has just over 100 employees and is dedicated to helping people get justice. Based principally in California, and often competing against larger firms, J&Y had ambitious aspirations for growth and success that would expand the firm and provide greater resources to the community.
Chief Operating Officer/Senior Attorney Monica Washington Rothbaum was intent on transforming the firm by leveraging modern AI technology and applying cutting-edge change management strategies. Her aim was to make the firm more competitive, bring in more cases, and handle existing cases more efficiently. Following successful brand marketing and lead-generation efforts, caseloads were surging. Rothbaum saw greater potential for growth, realizing that technology could lead to the firm achieving even more. AI technology was a potential solution, but was it more than just hype?
Maxing Out on EvenUp
J&Y discovered EvenUp, the San Francisco-based leading AI technology provider for PI firms, which was a game-changer for the firm. Over time, the firm gradually has maxed out its use of EvenUp solutions. Thanks to Rothbaum’s vision and follow-through, J&Y has expanded its EvenUp footprint to become one of the most state-of-the-art firms in the US to leverage multiple solutions to its full advantage. Due to EvenUp, the firm effectively saved 320 hours of work each week, which spurred its expansion both within California and into other states.
Rothbaum notes, “[With EvenUp], we aren’t replacing human judgment; we’re amplifying it, allowing our committee to act immediately on the cases where strategy and/or litigation will drive the most value…EvenUp helps us to see the critical factors from day one, so our top teams can focus on building the strongest case possible without missing a beat.”
Highlights of EvenUp products that J&Y is leveraging:
- EvenUp for Demands™ to create demand letters;
- AI Playbooks™ to extract key information from intake transcripts, notes and case files before initial client interactions;
- Medical Management™ to highlight treatment milestones, flag missing documents, and surface gaps in care early;
- Companion™ and Strengths and Weaknesses to combine with AI Playbooks to automate the entire data-gathering phase.
- AI Drafts allows J&Y attorneys to generate accurate depositions, mediations and motions in mere minutes.
- MedChrons™ interactive medical chronologies have cut medical review time by 50%, transforming thousands of pages of raw data into clear, visualized timelines.
Human Centric AI Adoption and Change Management
J&Y combined EvenUp with a people-first approach to change management. The firm was able to change the way they handled higher caseloads without sacrificing quality. The EvenUp team provided regular check-ins, personalized support, and ongoing education. J&Y employees felt empowered and important, which enabled them to put their clients - and their successful outcomes - first.
EvenUp’s CEO and co-founder Rami Karabibar commented: “The firms pulling ahead are the ones operationalizing AI across the lifecycle of a case. J&Y is a high-performing firm showing what’s possible when AI is applied thoughtfully in personal injury law. By using EvenUp, they’re able to evaluate claims earlier, reduce hundreds of hours of manual work each week, settle claims faster, and focus their teams on the cases that will drive the strongest outcomes. The result is faster resolutions, higher-value settlements, and a more efficient model for growth.”
Read the complete J&Y EvenUp success story here: https://evenuplaw.com/customers/jy-law/.
EvenUp is valued at $2B+ and works exclusively with personal injury law firms in the US. Find out more about how EvenUp’s AI technology works at https://www.evenuplaw.com.
Monica Washington Rothbaum is Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Senior Attorney at J&Y Law - find more about her at https://jnylaw.com/our-staff/monica-j-washington-rothbaum/.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The suspect in the killings of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh had asked ChatGPT what would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster, days before they went missing, according to a report filed by prosecutors over the weekend.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, also asked the artificial intelligence chatbot whether the vehicle identification number on his car could be changed, and whether he could keep a gun at home without a license, according to the pretrial detention report filed Saturday. ChatGPT responded that Abugharbieh’s question sounded dangerous, according to the report.
The remains of Abugharbieh's roommate, Zamil Limon, were found on the Howard Frankland bridge Friday morning, but Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said later that day that they were still searching for Limon's girlfriend, Nahida Bristy. On Sunday, the sheriff’s office announced that a body had been found in a waterway near the bridge, but had not been identified.
Abugharbieh, was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Limon and Bristy, the sheriff’s office announced Saturday. The former USF student was ordered held without bond on Saturday. A hearing is set for Tuesday.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were considering getting married, a relative said. They disappeared April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy at a campus science building.
Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering. She was a graduate of Noakhali Science and Technology University. The school, which spelled her last name as Brishti, said in a statement Saturday that she was a Ph.D. candidate and described her as a talented and promising student.
A friend contacted police April 17 about being unable to reach both Bristy and Limon, despite repeated attempts by phone, according to the report. Police investigators searched Bristy's campus office the next day and found her purse, lunchbox, MacBook and iPad.
At Limon’s off-campus apartment, detectives questioned Limon’s two roommates and noticed that Abugharbieh’s left pinky finger was bandaged. When confronted by detectives, Abugharbieh denied any involvement with Limon’s disappearance.
The third roommate told detectives that Abugharbieh had used a cart overnight on April 16 and April 17 to move cardboard boxes from his room to the trash compactor. In the trash compactor, detectives found Limon’s wallet and campus ID badge, credit card, eyeglasses and clothes that appeared to have blood on them.
Detectives found blood leading from the kitchen to Abugharbieh’s bedroom and more blood in his bedroom. In Limon’s bedroom, they found Bristy’s campus ID and credit cards, suggesting she had been at the apartment before she disappeared, according to the report.
Using cellphone location and license plate reader data, detectives concluded that Abugharbieh’s car and Limon’s phone had both been on the bridge and on Clearwater Beach, the report said. Based on location data from Abugharbieh’s phone, detectives searched around the bridge and found a trash bag containing Limon’s body. The medical examiner concluded that Limon had numerous stab wounds.
Three days after Limon and Bristy's April 16 disappearance, Abugharbieh asked Chat GPT, “Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head" and “will my neighbors hear my gun,” according to the report. He also asked the chatbot four days after that, on April 23, “What does missing endangered adult mean.”
Abugharbieh, a native-born U.S. citizen, was initially taken into custody on Friday at his family’s home on preliminary charges that include unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery. Reached by email on Monday, Jennifer Spradley, an attorney in the public defender's office in Tampa, said the office wouldn't comment on Abugharbieh's case.
Officers encountered Abugharbieh as they responded to a report of domestic violence at his family’s home, just north of the campus, and were able to move his relatives to safety. But then he barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. A SWAT team responded — along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators — before Abugharbieh came out with his hands up, apparently wearing nothing but a blue towel.
Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland.
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.
Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Members of the media document detectives and deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as they investigate inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
