By Alyssa Giacobbe
law community
When Julia Rodgers, JD ’16, returned to Suffolk Law this spring, Shark Tank producers in tow, it was a homecoming that highlighted her remarkable journey from law student to legal tech entrepreneur. The halls that once greeted her as a student lawyer now welcomed her as a successful innovator, filming an update episode for the hit reality show.
Rodgers’ path to success began in her second year at Suffolk Law when she enrolled in Lawyering in the Age of Smart Machines, part of the school’s Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) program. “When I entered law school, I didn’t expect to learn about how tech could improve the speed and efficiency of legal services,” Rodgers recalls. “I’m grateful to Suffolk for opening up that new way of thinking.”
After graduation, while working at a small family law firm, Rodgers began automating client intake forms. This experience sparked an idea: “That’s when I really started to think, ‘How can I apply legal tech skills to a legal product?’” she says.
In 2020, Rodgers founded HelloPrenup. The online tool for do-it-yourself prenuptial agreements caught the attention of Shark Tank producers, leading to a game-changing appearance on the show in late 2021. The result? A $150,000 investment and a surge in website traffic from 2,800 to over 90,000 visitors per month. Today, HelloPrenup is valued at more than $22 million.
“It was surreal,” Rodgers says of filming the Shark Tank update at Suffolk Law. “I would not be here—with a flourishing business—without the school.”
Rodgers’ success has fueled her commitment to giving back. She now generously contributes to Suffolk Law’s LIT Lab and recently became a member of the Law Dean's Cabinet. But for Rodgers, mentorship is equally crucial. “When I was in law school, I didn’t find a woman in the legal tech entrepreneurship space to serve as a mentor. So as soon as I was in a position to do it, I started mentoring a few hours a week.”
One mentee, Allie Ott, JD ’24, recently won the Suffolk IP Pitch Competition with Trustie, a TurboTax-style app for estate and guardianship planning. Rodgers helped Ott craft a winning pitch that positioned Trustie as both accessible and essential. “The whole idea of legal tech is democratizing access to otherwise very complex concepts,” Rodgers explains.
Ott has launched Trustie in six states, with plans to expand to 20 by the end of the year. She credits Rodgers and her Suffolk Law LIT classes as key to her success. “Julia has been so helpful throughout the entire process of building Trustie,” she says. “She’s the queen of consumer legal tech—but one of the biggest ways she’s influenced me has been by showing me that, as a woman and a mom, it can be done.”
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winter 2025
Julia Rodgers, JD ’16 (front), founder of consumer legal tech company HelloPrenup, has served as a mentor for legal tech entrepreneur Allie Ott, JD ’24. Both got their start in Suffolk Law’s legal innovation program. Photograph by Adam DeTour
Shark Tank investors Kevin O’Leary (third from left) and Nirav Tolia (third from right) with the Hello Prenup team and founder Julia Rodgers, JD ’16 (fifth from right). Photograph courtesy of Julia Rodgers
When Julia Rodgers, JD ’16, returned to Suffolk Law this spring, Shark Tank producers in tow, it was a homecoming that highlighted her remarkable journey from law student to legal tech entrepreneur. The halls that once greeted her as a student lawyer now welcomed her as a successful innovator, filming an update episode for the hit reality show.
Rodgers’ path to success began in her second year at Suffolk Law when she enrolled in Lawyering in the Age of Smart Machines, part of the school’s Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) program. “When I entered law school, I didn’t expect to learn about how tech could improve the speed and efficiency of legal services,” Rodgers recalls. “I’m grateful to Suffolk for opening up that new way of thinking.”
After graduation, while working at a small family law firm, Rodgers began automating client intake forms. This experience sparked an idea: “That’s when I really started to think, ‘How can I apply legal tech skills to a legal product?’” she says.
In 2020, Rodgers founded HelloPrenup. The online tool for do-it-yourself prenuptial agreements caught the attention of Shark Tank producers, leading to a game-changing appearance on the show in late 2021. The result? A $150,000 investment and a surge in website traffic from 2,800 to over 90,000 visitors per month. Today, HelloPrenup is valued at more than $22 million.
“It was surreal,” Rodgers says of filming the Shark Tank update at Suffolk Law. “I would not be here—with a flourishing business—without the school.”
Rodgers’ success has fueled her commitment to giving back. She now generously contributes to Suffolk Law’s LIT Lab and recently became a member of the Law Dean's Cabinet. But for Rodgers, mentorship is equally crucial. “When I was in law school, I didn’t find a woman in the legal tech entrepreneurship space to serve as a mentor. So as soon as I was in a position to do it, I started mentoring a few hours a week.”
One mentee, Allie Ott, JD ’24, recently won the Suffolk IP Pitch Competition with Trustie, a TurboTax-style app for estate and guardianship planning. Rodgers helped Ott craft a winning pitch that positioned Trustie as both accessible and essential. “The whole idea of legal tech is democratizing access to otherwise very complex concepts,” Rodgers explains.
Ott has launched Trustie in six states, with plans to expand to 20 by the end of the year. She credits Rodgers and her Suffolk Law LIT classes as key to her success. “Julia has been so helpful throughout the entire process of building Trustie,” she says. “She’s the queen of consumer legal tech—but one of the biggest ways she’s influenced me has been by showing me that, as a woman and a mom, it can be done.”