Built from experience. Designed for access.
SurviveTheTrap began with a simple realization: legal information may be public, but understanding it often isn’t.
THE ORIGIN
From handwritten pages to a platform
The idea grew from our family’s firsthand experience navigating the legal system. Two brothers encountered the justice system and experienced how difficult it can be for ordinary people and their families to understand the laws, procedures, and decisions shaping their lives. One is currently serving a life sentence stemming from a nonviolent drug conviction.
As our family continued researching his case, he began sending home handwritten research: court decisions, case law, statutes, legal principles, and explanations developed through years of studying the law from inside a correctional facility.
Those pages became the foundation for something much larger.
We expanded the original research, independently cross-referenced sources, reviewed court decisions and statutes, and worked to translate complicated legal concepts into information an everyday person could understand. We also hired and collaborated with attorneys to review portions of our research, cross-reference legal authorities, identify areas requiring greater nuance, and help us strengthen the accuracy and reliability of the educational material we were developing.
What began as an exchange of legal research between two brothers eventually became the SurviveTheTrap legal education eBook and, later, SurviveTheTrap.ai — an AI-powered legal-information platform designed to help people understand legal concepts, organize their circumstances, explore relevant law, analyze documents, and arrive better prepared for conversations with qualified legal professionals.
Today, SurviveTheTrap brings together a multidisciplinary team with experience spanning software engineering, machine learning, data science, business intelligence, legal research, product development, and firsthand experience navigating the legal system.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to democratize access to legal information.
We believe people should not need an expensive subscription, specialized education, or fluency in legal jargon simply to understand the laws and procedures affecting their lives.
SurviveTheTrap uses technology to make complex legal information more understandable, accessible, and useful to everyday people. We believe this access is particularly important during the earliest stages of a legal matter, when understanding what is happening, preserving relevant information, recognizing important questions, and seeking appropriate professional assistance can have lasting consequences.
We are not building technology to replace attorneys. We are building tools that help people become better-informed participants in their own legal circumstances and better prepared to work with legal professionals when representation is available.
Our long-term vision extends beyond a single application. We aim to develop independent legal-AI infrastructure, responsibly curated legal datasets, educational applications, and institutional tools capable of expanding free and affordable access to legal knowledge — including within correctional facilities and communities where traditional legal resources remain difficult to access.
The law affects everyone. Understanding it should not be reserved for those who can afford it.
THE TEAM
Meet the people behind SurviveTheTrap
A multidisciplinary team spanning software engineering, machine learning, data science, business intelligence, legal research, product development, and firsthand experience navigating the legal system.
Malcom Shelby
Co-Founder & Head of Product & Strategy
Malcom Shelby leads product strategy, platform development, and long-term vision for SurviveTheTrap. Drawing from firsthand experience navigating the legal system, he helped transform the original legal research behind SurviveTheTrap from handwritten case-law notes into a structured educational resource and, ultimately, an AI-powered legal-information platform. A Florida State University alumnus, Malcom’s professional background spans data analysis, product development, operations, procurement, and applied artificial intelligence. His work focuses on translating complex problems into practical systems and using emerging technology to make information more accessible.
Amir Walcott
Director of Engineering & Research
Amir Walcott leads engineering and technical research at SurviveTheTrap, helping translate the company’s legal-information framework into scalable software and AI-powered tools. His work spans software engineering, machine learning, data processing, legal research systems, and the technical infrastructure supporting SurviveTheTrap’s AI capabilities. With training across Python, data analytics, artificial intelligence, SQL, and data visualization, Amir brings a multidisciplinary approach to building reliable systems that make legal information more structured, accessible, and useful to everyday users.
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Vincent Sibley
Machine Learning Engineer
Vincent Sibley contributes machine learning and data-science expertise to SurviveTheTrap’s development of intelligent legal-information systems. A Florida State University alumnus with a professional background in technology and data, Vincent brings experience across Python, machine learning, cloud technologies, databases, and analytical systems. At SurviveTheTrap, he supports the development and evaluation of machine-learning capabilities as the platform works toward increasingly independent, domain-specific legal AI infrastructure.
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Jakiyah Jones
UI/UX & Business Intelligence Lead
Jakiyah Jones leads user experience, interface design, quality assurance, and business-intelligence initiatives for SurviveTheTrap. A Florida State University alumna with extensive professional experience in business intelligence and analytics, she brings a data-driven perspective to how users interact with complex information — helping ensure the platform stays approachable for people who may have little or no previous experience conducting legal research. She bridges design and analytics, transforming technically sophisticated capabilities into clear, intuitive experiences while supporting testing, product insights, and data-informed decision-making.
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Jacqueline Shelby
Owner
Jacqueline Shelby provides organizational leadership and stewardship for SurviveTheTrap, supporting the company’s mission to expand access to understandable legal information and educational technology. A retired U.S. Air Force veteran, Jacqueline brings a service-oriented perspective to the company’s long-term mission and its commitment to reaching communities that have historically faced barriers to information and opportunity. As owner of SurviveTheTrap, she supports the organization’s strategic development, community impact initiatives, and pursuit of partnerships that can extend accessible legal education to individuals, families, and institutions.
Legal Disclaimer: Survive The Trap is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The information provided is for general informational purposes only. Always consult a licensed attorney for advice about your specific legal situation.