Websites: Innovations in Meeting Client and Pro Bono Needs

March 22, 2007

Equal Justice Conference

Denver, Colorado

Presenters: Liz Keith, Circuit Rider Pro Bono Net

Becky Levine, Program Manager Legal Services Natl. Technology Assistance Project (NTAP)

Alison Sclater, New York Program Coordinator, Pro Bono Net

Marlene Halpern, Supervising Attorney for Pro Bono, The Legal Aid Society (New York City)

Introduction to Statewide Websites

Project history LSC Technology Initiative Grant program (TIG) established to

encourage use of tech to strengthen delivery systems of state justice communities

Statewide websites were one funding category Envisioned as the backbone of state justice communities’

technological capacities and essential to expanding access to and quality of legal services.

TIG has funded development of two templates – LawHelp (PBN) and OST (Kaivo)

TIG has also supported adaptation and implementation by states

Statewide website goals One tech platform supports all programs in each state Statewide collaboration by all major access-to-justice

players in each state Create pathway that millions of low-income people can

use to find help with legal problems Support networks of legal aid advocates Expand use of private attorneys – full representation Aggregate and share content statewide Platform for rolling out future innovations

Client sites Credible,

reliable information

Free – no membership or subscription

Designed for easy use and navigation

Easy to read Part of national

network

What do we mean by a statewide website?

Other examples

Other examples

Advocate sites

Support for attorneys through knowledge-sharing and networking

Other examples

Where are we today?

LSC TIG funding has supported 53 states and territories in developing statewide websites from Maine to Micronesia, from Florida to Alaska.

52 live sites for the public 6 live public sites in non- English languages 28 live sites for advocates 17 live sites with content for pro bono attorneys

Views – and uses -- of technology by clients, staff and pro bono are changing

Trends in technology use Who is online?

Internet penetration has reached 73% for all American adults (Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 2006)

36% of households with incomes less than $25,000 have access to the Internet (Pew Internet and American Life Project, May 2005)

40% of adults with less than a high school education use the Internet (Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 2006)

Low income people tend to use Internet for self-betterment (jobs, school) and expanding networks and information (The Children’s Partnership, Online Content for Low Income and Underserved Americans)

States with highest Internet penetration?

Trends in technology use

Implications for pro bono programs:

84% of Internet users belong to an online community

Nearly 50 million people joined a group after becoming aware of it through browsing online (including groups that predate the Internet)

Trends in technology use for pro bono

I would use an internet-based system to search for work (52%)

I would use an internet training and online resource systems (46%)

I would register for an internet-based system that matched me with clients (42%)

-- The Future of Pro Bono in New York, New York State Unified Courts, January 2004

Key Growth State in SWEB USage

In 2006: LawHelp public sites received over 2.7 million

visits, a 32% increase over 2005 Pro Bono Net advocate sites received 1.6 million

visits, a 216% increase over 2005 Advocate sites support more than 30,000 legal

aid staff and pro bono attorneys around the country

New Developments in Statewide Websites The last 2-3 years there has been an evolution

of online content. Web 2.0 and increased ability for people to add their

own content Multimedia Interactivity

Developments on Statewide websites Multimedia

Webcasting Video Flash animation Audio

Interactive guides and form completion Online intake systems RSS News Feeds

Webcasting

What is webcasting?

Webcasting allows statewide website administrators to capture and stream live or archived audiovisual content over the internet.

Using a Flash-based tool created by Illinois Legal Aid Online, a user can webcast content using only a webcam and a laptop with a broadband internet connection.

Potential uses of this tool include producing online trainings for legal services advocates and pro bono attorneys, as well as developing pro se content for clients.

Webcasting Uses Webcast live attorney trainings for people in

other locations. Archive trainings for later review. Many programs offer CLE credits

Webcast public education trainings for posting on the public website. Be sure to review whether the live training works as a

video for later viewing (how long is it, can you hear the speaker, is the speaker within view, etc.)

More Webcasting examples Illinois:http://www.illinoislegalaid.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.dsp_content&contentID=496

Georgia and New York advocate websites have also launched webcasting.

Video…

More video examples: Illinois going to court video – Produced video

(script, “actors”, video shoots (permissions, edited with video editing and sound software.)

www.glsp.org – Watch and learn web videos

Animation Explain complex issues Dynamic Attracts attention

Flash most common on websites. Allows a cheaper and easier to format option (rather than video).

Animation Example www.washingtonlawhelp.org – “How to Use this

Site” – Flash Animation

Interactive Animation Allows a person to respond and interact.

A2JWhat is A2J?

Developed by the Center for Access to Justice and Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Software to develop custom user-friendly interfaces for document assembly

Leads users through an interview with visual and audio cues

Compatible with Hotdocs and coming soon – case management software

A2J in use: some examples

Iowa Remote Intake

RSS News Feeds RSS – Really simple syndication

News feeds that can be brought into your website that include a headline but link to original source for the the content of the news item.

How does it work RSS News feeds generated by organizations are

posted in the RSS news aggregator on lstech: http://rss.lstech.org/

These news feeds can appear on your statewide website. The story headline appears and then links off to the site that generated the news story.

What national content feeds are available? News feeds

15 substantive law specific feeds from CLASP NLADA – Equal Justice News Brennan Center News LSC announcements, updates and Equal Justice

Magazine Lstech News

Want to learn more? Visit: www.lsntap.org/techlibrary - More information is available

under: Statewide Websites RSS XML and Tech Standards Wikis and Internet Tools

Visit the Pro Bono Net SWEB Library (requires membership) -

http://www.probono.net/statewebsites/index.cfm

Watch and Learn: Nuts and Bolts of Multimedia Content – Online

Training from February 2007 - http://lsntap.mayfirst.org/sweb114

Building a collaborative website The New York Pro Bono Center Experience

NYC Pro Bono Center www.probono.net/nycprobono Online pro bono resource center developed by

the City Bar Justice Center, The Legal Aid Society and Pro Bono Net

Goal: To increase pro bono participation in NYC

How: Provide pro bono information and resources in organized, easy-to-access format

Site Features: Calendar

Calendar of trainings and other events

Site Features: News

News about pro bono and activities in NYC Volunteer recognition

articles Monthly e-newsletter sent

to all site members

Site Features: Library

Library of training and other background or sample materials, including webcasts

Site Features: Cases

Listing of cases in need of pro bono counsel

Site Features: Listservs

Email listservs for information-sharing and mentoring

Value of site for pro bono programs in NYC Recruitment of new attorneys (and those new to pro

bono) Efficient means to distribute training materials and post

cases Centralized roster of attorneys interested in pro bono Enhanced communication

Mailings to site members Listserv for pro bono staff at public interest organizations to

post questions and share information

Publicity tool for pro bono victories and accomplishment

How we built it Incorporated existing News and Calendar pages from

probono.net/NY Building the library

Recruited law firm to convert hard copy materials to electronic format

Uploaded initial slate of library materials as entire collection, rather than one by one

Recruiting members Created auto-memberships for current volunteers with the City

Bar and Legal Aid Promoted through donated online ads Demonstrations for law firms

…and the challenges along the way

Creating internal structure at host organizations programs to take on new responsibility

Working collaboratively Recruiting a law firm to assist with the library Varied structure and format of training materials

Successes since October launch Membership has grown from 1,100 at launch to

more than 1,700 Continuing to create memberships for training

participants and law firm associate classes

Additional pro bono programs are participating Posting materials Webcasting trainings

5,000 site visits 300 webcast views

Ongoing challenges

Staffing of maintenance tasks Keeping content fresh through regular updates Working collaboratively with non-host

organizations Placing cases