Presenters: Ron Staudt and Rachel Medina, Center for Access to Justice & Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law John Mayer, Center for Computer Assisted Instruction Cynthia Vaughn, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation

1. Innovations in Intake - Ohio
EJC 2008
Ron Staudt
Rachel Medina
Center for Access to Justice & Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
John Mayer
Center for Computer Assisted Instruction
Cynthia Vaughn
Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
November 21, 2008

2. Innovations in Intake
A2J Author® enables new models
! Origins of A2J Author®—Ron Staudt
quot; Listen to the customer
quot; Meet the customers’ needs
quot; Keep it simple and make it fun
quot; Educating the client community, empowering pro se actions,
bringing e-filing to the public and making online intake a reality.
! Technical Insights—John Mayer
quot; Advanced tools
quot; Open and flexible programming techniques
quot; Rapid development and nimble prototyping
! Making the tools work– Rachel Medina
quot; A2J Author® partnerships and projects
quot; Web 2.0 and learning communities
quot; Manuals, training and telephone support
! Project-in-Process – Cynthia Vaughn
quot; An Ohio example
2

3. Center for Access to
Justice & Technology
quot; Curriculum: Public Interest Certificate
quot; Research: Meeting the Needs of Self Represented
Litigants w/ NCSC & Institute of Design
quot; Access to Justice:
! A2J Author® Project w/ CALI
! Self Help Web Center w/Cook County Circuit Court &
Clerk
! A2J Author® Student Editorial Board
3

4. Meeting the Needs of Self Represented
Litigants: A Consumer Based Approach
•Identify the major barriers to
access to justice by litigants
without lawyers
•Ethnographic research in 5
courts, California, Delaware,
Colorado & Illinois
•Employ the latest in system
design methodology to redesign
the process
•Design Factors, Function
Structure, Information Structure,
Solution Elements, System
Structure 4

5. The Prototype:
Joint Simplified Dissolution of Marriage
5

6. Meeting the Needs of Self-Represented
Litigants: A Consumer Based Approach
! Prototype Lessons Learned:
quot; The Interface works!
quot; Custom development requires expensive
technical expertise
! Solution
6

7. (2004…present)
! A2J Author® - a factory or a software
machine to make hundreds of these front-
ends for court forms, at a very low cost.
! A2J Author® capitalizes on the front-end
interface developed in the JSDM Prototype,
while providing tools for authors to create
guided interviews on their own.
7

8. Connecting the Public
to the Courts and the Legal System via the Web
8

9. Contributors
9

10. A2J Author®:
Document assembly front-end
Petition for aa
Petition for
Protection Order
Protection Order
10

11. A2J Author®:
Website Guide
What’s the next step?
Where do I go?
Who do I need to
contact?
11

12. A2J Author®
E-Filing Public Interface
LEXISNEXIS PDF
HotDocs
OnLine XML
CM/ECF
Customer Data
E-Filing
XML
A2J 12

13. A2J Author®
Online Intake Interface
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing
13

14. Questions?
Contact Information:
Ronald W. Staudt
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Phone: (312) 906-5326
Email: rstaudt@kentlaw.edu
14

15. A2J Author®
Online Intake Interface
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing
15

16. .ANX
16

17. .ANX
17

18. .ANX
18

19. .ANX
<Answer name=quot;OP HOME_ADDRESS1quot;>
<RptValue>
<TextValue>234234</TextValue>
<TextValue>asdasd</TextValue>
<TextValue>345345</TextValue>
</RptValue>
</Answer>
19

20. A2J Author®
Online Intake Interface
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing
20

21. LS-XML
<ClientIdentification>
<ClientIdentifier>1</ClientIdentifier>
<PersonInformation PersonID=quot;4quot; PersonIDRef=quot;Client1quot;>
<PersonName>
<NamePrefix></NamePrefix>
<FirstName>Harry</FirstName>
<MiddleName>Fred</MiddleName>
<LastName>Client1</LastName>
<NameSuffix>Jr.</NameSuffix>
<FullName>Happy Freakn Client1</FullName>
</PersonName>
<Address>
<AddressLine>192 Harrisburg Ln.</AddressLine>
<AddressLine>Suite 213</AddressLine>
<City>Cleveland</City> 21
<County>Cuyahoga</County>

22. A2J Author®
Online Intake Interface
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing
22

23. XSLT
<xsl:element name=quot;ClientIntakequot;>
<xsl:element name=quot;ClientIdentificationquot;>
<xsl:element name=quot;ClientIdentifierquot;>
<xsl:text></xsl:text>
</xsl:element>
<xsl:element name=quot;PersonInformationquot;>
<xsl:variable name=quot;userfirstnamequot; select=quot;//Answer[@name='User First Name TE']quot;/>
<xsl:variable name=quot;usermiddlenamequot; select=quot;//Answer[@name='User Middle Name TE']quot;/>
<xsl:variable name=quot;userlastnamequot; select=quot;//Answer[@name='User Last Name TE']quot;/>
<xsl:element name=quot;PersonNamequot;>
<xsl:element name=quot;NamePrefixquot;>
</xsl:element>
<xsl:element name=quot;FirstNamequot;>
<xsl:value-of select=quot;$userfirstnamequot;/>
</xsl:element>
<xsl:element name=quot;MiddleNamequot;>
<xsl:value-of select=quot;$usermiddlenamequot;/>
</xsl:element>
<xsl:element name=quot;LastNamequot;>
<xsl:value-of select=quot;$userlastnamequot;/>
</xsl:element>
23

24. A2J Author® Does Not Have
Online Intake Interface
to be XML!!
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
-HTML
-Comma delimited
-CSV For Review in the
Answer File Data Now
Available
-Plain Management
Case ole’ text
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed -SQL INSERTs
….conflicts check
(.anx
File)
Transform Answer Files -etc,….processing
etc.
….attorney review
24

25. A2J Author®
Online Intake Interface
Every transform is unique
to ...
A2J Guided Interview™ for Intake (.a2j files)
-The interview
-The destination database
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing
25

26. Create, Store & Serve A2J Guided
Interviews® for Online Intake
CREATE STORE SERVE
National Public Automated
Documents Online
(NPADO)
“National Server”
A2J Guided Interview
for Online Intake
OR
Your Own Local Server
A2J Guided Interview
for Online Intake

27. Capturing the Data Collected in
A2J Guided Interviews®
Client name TE
Client DOB DA
Client address TE
Client county TE
A2J Author Answer File (.anx

28. Send, Translate, and
Import Data
SEND
Local Server
National Server
(NPADO)
OR TRANSLATE IMPORT
Local Server
XSL
Transform Transformed
Answer Files
A2J Author
Answer File
(.anx)
-Conflict
Check
-CMS File

29. Questions?
Contact Information:
John Mayer
CALI
Phone: (312) 906-5307
Email: jmayer@cali.org
29

30. Activity Nationwide
Partners & Statistics
Chicago-Kent College of Law
States with A2J Guided Interviews ®
/ Student Editorial Board
(according to NPADO server statistics thru 7/1/08)
Projects
21 States, U.S. Virgin Islands & Ventura County, California
Ontario (Canada) (various interviews in process)
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, (multiple interviews, either live or in
Pennsylvania, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Washington, development)
Ontario (Canada)
E-Filing System Projects
Registered Users of A2J Author® 2.0
(per registration statistics thru 10/1/08)
U.S. District Courts,
Eastern Missouri
33 States, D.C., Guam, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit
Ontario (Canada), N.S.W. (Australia)
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut,
Court, Florida
Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, (pilot project for the state of Florida)
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Clerk of Kane County, Illinois
Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North
Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, N.S.W. (Australia), Ohio,
Oklahoma, Ontario (Canada), Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Case Management System
Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, Washington
Integration Projects
As of July 1: 1219 active A2J Guided Interviews® Iowa Legal Aid 30
34,042 A2J Guided Interviews® completed in 2008 Legal Aid of Western Ohio

31. Training & Support
! Quarterly Trainings (announced on A2J Author Blog and docassembly listserv)
quot; New User
quot; Advanced
! Developer Calls
quot; Updates to the software
quot; Opportunity for input on software development
! Telephone Support
(Center for Access to Justice & Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law: 312-906-5331)
quot; Guidance on use of web materials
quot; General questions on use and implementation of interviews
quot; Assistance with troubleshooting as time permits
! Community Support
quot; Website: www.a2jauthor.org
quot; A2J Author blog: http://a2j_author_blog.classcaster.org/blog/
quot; Listserv: Hotdocs listserv managed by ProBono.Net and LSNTAP
recently changed its name to the “docassembly” listserv to
incorporate A2J Author community 31

32. A2J Author® Community Support
www.a2jauthor.org
! “Online
Guide”
! Blog
! Bug Reports
! Feature
Requests
! Community
Forums
32

33. A2J Author®
Starter Kit
! Web supported
training materials
(the “online” guide)
! Each section of the
online guide is
subdivided:
quot; Tutorials
quot; Modules
quot; Demonstrations
33

34. A2J Author® Starter Kit
! Web-supported training materials
quot; Video Demonstrations (5)
! The Interview Tab
! Functions:
quot; Date & Today
quot; Age
! Importing
Variables
! Organizing Steps
& Questions
34

35. A2J Author® Starter Kit
! A2J Authoring Manual
quot; 12 chapters
quot; 4 appendices
quot; over 180 pages of
training material
quot; special icons to indicate
location of helpful tools:
35

36. A2J Author® Starter Kit:
Starter Interviews
1) Review script (“Report”)
2) Modify Interview
3) Test Interview/Create Answer File
4) Create XSL transform to map
interview variables to CMS
36

37. Questions?
Contact Information:
Rachel R. Medina
Center for Access to Justice & Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Phone: (312) 906-5331
Email: rmedina@kentlaw.edu
37

38. An Ohio Example
! What is Ohio currently using for online
intake
! New development using the A2J
Author® Tool
! Integration with Pika Case
Management
38

39. Legal Aid of Western Ohio
(LAWO) Current Intake System
! Walk-in
! Hotline
! Web-based
39

40. Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO)
Current Intake System (continued…)
! Nearly 9,000
online
applications in
2007
! Web makes up
approximately
30% of all intake
traffic
40

41. LAWO’s A2J Author® Intake TIG
! Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) submitted a $30,000 TIG
application in 2007 in order to:
quot; Provide the opportunity for all providers to “share” in the
intellectual capital and investment made by Iowa and
LSC;
quot; Provide Ohio’s legal services providers with 24/7 online
intake capabilities via a link through the LAWO website,
as well as the Ohio Legal Services statewide website;
quot; Provide people in need with the ability to contact legal aid
at all hours of the day and night.
41

42. Ohio’s Replication of Iowa’s
A2J Author® Intake Template
42

43. The “Script”…
! The script from Iowa’s initiative was used as the
“starting point” for the Ohio intake initiative.
! Modified as needed, with input from Legal Aid
Line intake staff and LAWO attorneys.
! The script will be reviewed by all participating
Ohio programs and will be edited based on the
individual intake process for each program.
43

44. LAWO’s A2J Author® Intake TIG
! User will complete the interview.
! The information gathered from the interview will be
passed to Legal Aid Line’s Pika case management
system by utilizing a custom-written piece of code called
a “transform” that converts the .anx file to a .php file.*
! The generated data file is then “held” in a Pika staging
table for review by intake staff, then it is transferred to
the appropriate office.
! Transforms are, and should be, customizable by
program based on elements (variables) in Pika, and are
based on LSXML principles.
44
*Transform written by John Mayer, Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction

45. LAWO’s A2J Author® Intake TIG
(continued…)
! Intake staff can then review the case before it is
accepted into the program’s Pika case
management system by utilizing a piece of
code developed by the Ohio Legal Assistance
Foundation (Ty Acker).
quot; Checks for conflicts and confidentiality issues.
quot; Follows the same intake process as the Hotline.
45

46. Case Management System
Data Collection
A2J Guided Interview for Intake (.a2j files)
Case Management System
Answer File Data Now
Available For Review in the
Case Management
Interview System….
Answers XSL Transformed ….conflicts check
(.anx Transform Answer Files ….attorney review
File) ….processing

47. Ohio Web Intake

48. Advantage of A2J Author® Intake
Time Savings
! It is estimated that once fully implemented, the
A2J Intake tool will save the client information
gathering step; thus, shortening the intake
process by 15-20 minutes, per client.
! A2J Intake will be available 24/7, which provides
potential clients with a way to contact legal
services outside of regular business hours; thus,
potentially reducing the amount of call traffic (and
waits on hold).
48

49. Access through Ohio Legal
Services Statewide Website
! Link for LAWO
(and other
participating
providers) will be
available under
the “Find Ohio
Legal Help”
directory section
of the Ohio Legal
Services website. Click here to complete the
49
online intake application

50. Project Management
! Best practices in project management will
be applied to all stages and phases of the
Ohio A2J Author® Intake project.
! Actively using:
quot; Microsoft Project
quot; Issue Tracker (Kaivo tool)
quot; GoToMeeting / GoToWebinar
quot; Other: Poverty Law Survey Tool
50

51. LAWO A2J Author® Intake Project Plan

52. LAWO A2J Author® Intake Project Plan (continued…)

53. Resources Involved in the Ohio LAWO
A2J Author® Intake Project
! Ed Marks, Litigation Director, Legal Aid of Western Ohio
! Debra Jennings, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Line of Western Ohio
! LAWO staff and Statewide Intake Staff
! Cynthia Vaughn, Ty Acker, Jeffrey Fortkamp, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
! Rachel Medina, Chicago-Kent College of Law
! John Mayer, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction
! Will Shryock, Network Administrator, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE)
! Teresa Green, Technology Support, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE)
! Eve Ricaurte, Iowa Legal Services
! Steve Gray, Michigan Legal Services 53

54. Questions?
Contact Information:
Cynthia Vaughn
Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
Phone: (614) 728-6930
Email: cvaughn@olaf.org
54

55. Thank You!
For Copies of This Presentation…
Login to www.a2jauthor.org and select
“Trainings and Presentations”
or
Provide Your E-Mail Address
On The Attendance Sheet
And We Will Send You A Copy 55