By Pro Bono Net—A reprise of a popular topic, this year we present examples of new innovations in technology to support pro bono in an Ignite-style format. The special Pre-Celebrate Pro Bono Week Webinar will cover various technologies in use by pro bono lawyers, as well as tips on how to make these technologies more effective and helpful for their pro bono programs.

1. Welcome to LSNTAP’s Innovations in
Technology-enabled Pro Bono!
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4. Innovations in Technology-
Enabled Pro Bono
October 15, 2014

5. Presenters
Paul Haidle
Director, Volunteer Attorney Program, New Mexico Legal Aid
Ric Morgan
Attorney, Ric N. Morgan, LLC
Beth Andersen
Attorney, Johnson & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PC
Tony Lu
Citizenship Works Project Coordinator, Pro Bono Net
Brian Houghton
Litigation Projects Manager, Law Help Ontario
Claudia Johnson
LawHelp Interactive Program Manager, Pro Bono Net
Moderated by:
Adam Friedl
Program Manager, Pro Bono Net

6. Road Map
1. Technology-Enabled Pro Bono Initiatives
• Virtual Legal Fairs
• Virtual Pro Se Clinics
• CitizenshipWorks 2.0
• “Ticketing” for Pro Bono Volunteers
• LawHelp Interactive
2. Questions & Discussion of Common Themes

7. Takeaways
• Emphasis on content, not location
• Two-way communication between
lawyers and clients
• Combination of automated and human-based
guidance
• Efficient volunteer management
• Forms and e-filing

8. USING TECHNOLOGY TO
BRIDGE THE RURAL
JUSTICE GAP
Paul Haidle
Director, Volunteer Attorney Program, New Mexico Legal Aid

9. The Problem: Lack of Access to
Civil Legal Aid
USING TECHNOLOGY TO BRIDGE THE RURAL JUSTICE GAP

10. The Solution: A Virtual Legal
Fair
USING TECHNOLOGY TO BRIDGE THE RURAL JUSTICE GAP

11. Steps to a Successful Rural
Clinic
- Identify communities in need and potential host
sites
- Identify stakeholders in the community
- Advertising for volunteers and clients (flyer, PSA,
etc.)
- On site screening of legal issues
- Technology “dry run”
USING TECHNOLOGY TO BRIDGE THE RURAL JUSTICE GAP

12. Technology Considerations for
a Virtual Clinic
- Internet connectivity
- Wireless availability
- Privacy concerns
- Choosing the appropriate technology
- Client/Attorney familiarity and comfort level
USING TECHNOLOGY TO BRIDGE THE RURAL JUSTICE GAP

13. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINIC
(VPC)
CONCEPT
PRESENTATION
Ric Morgan
Attorney, Ric N. Morgan, LLC
Beth Andersen
Attorney, Johnson & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PC

14. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINIC
Concept:
- Free monthly clinics link parties without an attorney
to counsel over the internet.
- Held at local public libraries across Colorado

15. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINIC
Plan:
Combine:
Technology & ‘in place’ public resources
Volunteer attorneys statewide
Partnerships with local communities
Rely on existing public infrastructure

16. Goals:
• Capitalize on existing public infrastructure investments
• Use technology to secure broader public engagement
• Mobilize volunteer attorneys effectively and efficiently
• Enhance coordination between public service organizations
• Develop practical strategies and tools to lessen the Court’s
pressing resource problems

17. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
PHASE I: Proof of Concept
Interactive video interface
& screen-sharing capability
& guided internet touring
Via ‘skype-like’ computer link
no cost to clinic participants
ATTORNEY IN OFFICE
Springfield Library, Baca county
Testbed Development:
• Baca County VPC
• Montrose County VPC
• Montezuma County VPC
SINCE
2013

18. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
PHASE I: Proof of Concept
VPC Relies On Building Partnerships:
- Clinic schedule set & published locally
- Local librarians open the link connection
- Local Court & Bar Association help with court procedures
- Interactive computer link via Zoom software interface
One-on-one attorney dialogue & instant access to:
State Judicial forms & Instructions
Supplemental materials
Electronic downloading & storage
Printers
Since
2013

19. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
Phase II Preliminary Fielding: 1 Jan 14
• Six additional Counties - total of nine counties statewide
• Notionally: local VPC Coordinator, working with 4 volunteer
attorneys who staff the local VPC clinic (9 hrs/yr for each attorney)
• Requires an effective coordination/calendaring tool
• Monthly press notices by VPC Coordinator

20. SAMPLE FLYER :
LA PLATA COUNTY

21. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
SAMPLE MONTHLY PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT TO LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS:
CHAFFEE COUNTY
JANUARY 21, 2014 NEW FREE LEGAL CLINIC :
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED; ALL FREE
CHAFFEE COUNTY
FREE LEGAL CLINIC - Free legal clinic at your Salida Regional Library
TUESDAY JANUARY 21, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM in SALIDA
A free legal clinic for parties who have no attorney, will be featured from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
on the THIRD TUESDAY of each month at the Salida Regional Library at 405 “E” St, Salida,
CO 81201. By computer link, volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help fill out
forms, and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation, including family
law, property law, probate law, collections, appeals, landlord-tenant law, small claims,
veterans issues, and civil protection orders. Walk-ins are welcome, and everyone will be
helped on a first-come, first-served basis.
Upcoming 2014 dates are: January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June
17, July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18, December 16.

22. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
SAMPLE MONTHLY PRESS DISTRIBUTION: Logan County
Newspapers:
Journal-Advocate
South Platte Sentinel
Yuma Pioneer
Brush News Tribune
Akron News Reporter
Haxtun Fleming Herald
Radio:
KSIR Radio 1010
Logan County
Commissioners
Sheriff’s Office
Veterans Office
Sterling
Sterling Police
Sterling City Office
Family Resource Center
Northeastern Junior College
Fleming Town Hall
Peetz Town Hall
Merino Town Hal
Logan County Courts
Chief Judge
District & County Judges
Clerk of the Court
Family Court Facilitator
SRLC
Logan County Chamber of Commerce
President - 13th JD Bar
Association
Colorado Legal Services
St Anthony Catholic
Church & School
Calvary Baptist Church
Prince of Peace
Episcopal Church
Sterling Foursquare
Church
VFW Post 3541
American Legion Post 134
Lions Club
High Plains Sexual
Assault Center

23. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
Phase III: Build-Out
ATTORNEY IN OFFICE
INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCE
W/LINKED WEB-BASED SUPPORT
VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS
WORKING FROM THEIR OWN LAW OFFICES,
ORGANIZED BY 22 JUDICIAL DISTRICTS,
DELIVERING FREE PRO-SE SERVICES AT LOCAL LIBRARIES
STATE-WIDE
Timeline TBD
COUNTY LIBRARIES
COUNTY LIBRARIES

24. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINICS
PHASE III Build-Out:
• Fully sustainable with 250 volunteer attorneys
• Operating from anywhere in Colorado; all 64 counties
• Uses existing infrastructure in local public libraries
• Volunteer attorneys never have to leave their office
• Local Bar Associations & courts represented
• Feedback from the Courts on VPC effectiveness

25. VIRTUAL PRO SE CLINIC
Summary:
Free monthly clinics for self-represented litigants that combine:
- Technology; Volunteer attorneys; Local partnerships
Start small, build towards state-wide capability
Phase I: proof of concept with 3 counties in May 2013
Phase II: preliminary fielding in 9 counties in Jan 2014
2015 expansion: 11 more counties in Jan 2015

26. Technology-enabled Pro Bono
in Naturalization and
Immigration
Tony Lu
Product Manager

27. • Group Processing
• New Collaborations
• Citizenship Centers
• Office Kiosks
• Classroom Integration
• Remote Service

28. Current Pro Bono in
Naturalization
• Immigration Attorneys in short supply
• Non-immigration attorneys – limited ability
to assist

29. Citizenshipworks 2

30. Expert System and Contextual Info
• Structured
guidance for Pro
Bono attorneys
• Information when
it’s most needed

31. Pro Bono Attorney Accounts
• Advocate Interface
• Limit access to only
assigned clients

32. Pro Bono From Your Desk

33. Overview of LHO’s Ticket
System
• Law Help Ontario
• Remote Assistance Project (Launched
2012)
• Ticket System (Launched 2013)
• The Basics of our Ticket System

45. Summary
• Opening a Ticket
• Managing and Closing Tickets
• Private Comments
• Adding Files
• Reports
• Canned Responses

46. Considerations
• “Off the Shelf” or “Customized”
Solutions
• Cost
• Programming or Technical Experience
• Internal or External
• Security Issues: HTTPS, Storage

47. WHAT?! TECHNOLOGY IN PRO
BONO LEGAL SERVICES – OF ALL
PLACES?
Claudia Johnson
Pro Bono Net
Lawhelp Interactive
cjohnson@probono.net
Boston MA 2013

48. Model Rules 1.1 Competency
(2012)
Maintaining Competence
[8] To maintain the requisite knowledge and
skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of
changes in the law and its practice, including
the benefits and risks associated with
relevant technology, engage in continuing
study and education and comply with all
continuing legal education requirements to
which the lawyer is subject.

49. Definition of the digital divide
“The gap or imbalance…between those who
have access to Information and
Communications Technology and also to the
unequal access to resources. The digital
divide can exist between those living in rural
areas and those living in urban areas,
between the educated and uneducated,
between economic classes, and on a global
scale between more and less industrially
developed nations.”
Information and Communication Technology for
Development (ICT4D)

50. Innovation within Legal Community
What are other states doing in reaction to
these changes/ new trends on how people
communicate, search for information, and
prefer to work?

51. The “bread and butter” tools:
1. A good website that allows for anonymous
searching and use
2. Web chat/hotline/sms texting—some way to “talk”
3. Online forms—to do self directed check
lists/triage or to create forms (pro bono/advocate)
4. Videos and visual/graphical representations of
complex processes, instructions, “what if” type
information
5. Smart use of social media and other types of
sites

52. Multiple Doors: Examples NY and
WA

53. WA mobile!

54. LHI Heat Map--Interviews
2013 2012
Growth in PA, Florida, Michigan, CT, SC, Alaska, Hawaii,Utah
Declines in Idaho, Arkansas,KY,Tennesse, WA, WVA

55. Why On-Line Forms Add Value
 Standardized content
 Electronic (remote sharing)
 Information Reusable
 Less training required
◦ Self navigation or less skilled worker
 Basic computer needs
 Can create and edit from ANYWHERE there is internet!

56. LawHelp Interactive—what it is
Advocates or
self-represented
litigants
answer
questions
during an
interview.
A personalized document is
created from the answers.
Integrations:
E file
Fax and File
Use through CMS

57. Online Forms/LawHelp
Interactive
• Support
• Resources
• Online Forms

58. Area specific Mini portals
• Pool together multiple types of resources
in an area of high demand
• Includes videos, resources, forms
• SEO enabled

59. Grouping under one banner

60. FEMA Appeals

61. Web Chat-integrated into delivery
system
• Provides virtual, live
assistance for website
visitors
• Helps visitors find
information, forms and
referrals
• Staffed by legal aid staff,
Americorps volunteers,
volunteer attorneys and
law students
• Uses LivePerson
software (ASP)

62. SMS Texting to find hard to reach
communities

63. New partners: Libraries
• Ubiquitous and community-based
• Large audience within target demographic
• Increasingly an access point for
government and civic services
• Complementary services and
infrastructure
Free computers, Internet access and training
Enhanced referenced services
Trained knowledge specialists

64. Legal Self-Help
Centers
• ILAO started opening self-help
centers in 2006
• 99 of Illinois’s 102
counties have Legal Self-
Help Centers
 99 are Internet based
 80+ are in public
libraries
 26 are at courthouses

65. 3 ID Theft Forms being shared Nationally
Using LawHelp Interactive
Identity Theft Interactive Forms
Letter to Creditor - Use this interactive interview for
responding to someone collecting a bill that is in your
name, but a bill you did not authorize.
Letter to Debt Collector - Use this interactive interview
for responding to a company or law firm that is aDebt
Collector,or collecting a bill that is in your name but
you did not authorize.
Letter to Credit Bureau - Use this interactive interview
to create a letter to aCredit Bureau,seeking
investigation and removal from your credit report of
items that are the result of identity theft.

66. ID Theft LHI forms project
• 3 letters based on FTC forms—all ID theft related
• Partnership with Kansas Legal Services and Maryland Victims of Crime
Resource Center

67. E-filing and those without lawyers

68. E-filing friendly forms and
process

69. Pro Bono Net/LawHelp Interactive
e-filing Projects
• NY Courts—pilot in the Bronx—advocates
are pre-filing DV petitions
• In Riverside—litigants print form from LHI
and then fax and file into court’s system—
DV form
• In Minnesota, building an end to end first
efiling went in 12/30/2013! Two forms,
civil harrassment form and DV petition.

70. Knight Cities Challenge

71. Other ideas/projects

72. Resources

73. Goals for Tech-Enabled Pro Bono
Pro bono programs
New pathways for volunteers to learn about and engage in
your programs
Pro bono lawyers
Enhanced support, access to expertise, and new forms of
volunteering
Clients
Greater resources and efficiencies; increased services to
underserved clients and communities

74. What does the (not so distant) future hold?
• More sophisticated & tailored case
marketing and matching
• Auto-generated personalized referral
packets for volunteers (drawing on
statewide website content &
automated forms)
• Virtual law office platforms with
secure client and volunteer portals
(e.g. RocketLawyer) to provide
unbundled or full services
• Your ideas?

75. Discussion/Questions?

76. THANK YOU FOR
ATTENDING TODAY!
Be sure to check out www.lsntap.org for information regarding
the next LSTNAP Community Training!

77. Contact Information
Brian Rowe (brianr@nwjustice.org) or via chat on www.lsntap.org
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