2) Online Self Help Tools and Partnerships LawHelp Interactive New York Courts Minnesota Courts

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1 Technology organizations use to help pro se clients address their legal needs 1) Hotlines Alaska 2) Online Self Help Tools and Partnerships LawHelp Interactive New York Courts Minnesota Courts 3) Web Chat Iowa, Texas, NY

2 Alaska:Hotlines Stacey Marz Director of the Alaska Court System sfamily Law Self-Help Center State.ak.us

3 Most Frequently Assembled 2009 Family Law 58,321 Housing 8683 Consumer 6301 Food Resources 5535 Other high use substantive areas:guardianship and conservatorship, wills estates,civil procedure admin law

4 Partnership Online forms projects can t be done in a vaccum. Why? Courts have to accept them Lawyers have to accept them Users must understand them Private Bar can t oppose them Other advocates can benefit from them (pro bono lawyers, shelters, etc)

5 How Do Courts Use Document Assembly? Available Online Only Used in Self-Help Workshops and Clinics Less Staff Support Available Online & At Court Kiosks Available Online & In Self-Help Centers More Staff Support

6 Impact of Cuts: Percentage Reporting

7 Percentage of Judges Reporting Impacts When Out-of-Court Self Help Services Reduced

8 Intake 8

9 Work Area 9

10 Computer Terminals 10

11 A2J/HD Document Assembly 11

12 Meeting With A Pro Bono Lawyer 12

13 Core Idea & Benefits of this Approach Core Idea: Let the computer do what it does best: remember information, apply rules consistently and put information in the right place on the forms. Let people do what they do best: understand what the litigant is trying to say and explain complex ideas. Benefits: Legible, complete documents Speed Up Time for Completion of Forms More Time for teaching legal concepts More Time for SRL to focus on key issues Case management focus for SRL Info stored for next step

14 Answer Files With LHI LASC is experimenting with ing pdf files to pro bono lawyers outside the court, for review before filing. Server allows for s to someone else, other than the person doing the interview.

15 Pre-Interview Instructions

16 Post-Interview Instructions

17 Legal Aid Self Help Center LAS-Run, in cooperation with the Louisville Bar Association and the UofL School of Law. Easy to duplicate with minimal funding.

18 LiveHelp Chat Feature: A Low-Cost Tool for Added Service Pro Bono Net Contact: Liz Keith, lkeith@probono.net

19 The LiveHelp Concept Provides virtual, live assistance for Web site visitors Helps visitors find information and referrals Staffed by VISTA volunteers, paralegals, interns, attorneys, and other willing staff members

20 Use LiveHelp for Volunteer Recruitment and Support Recruitment Training Scheduling Substantive resources and support

21 Texas LiveHelp usage Approx. 135 chats between Oct-Dec % earn less than $1,733 / month 95% currently living in Texas Housing, FEMA and insurance claim issues most common Some non-ike help requests (family, consumer most common)

22 Who is using LiveHelp? LawHelp.org/LA GeorgiaAdvocates.org ArkansasLegalServices.org LawHelpMN.org TexasLawHelp.org LawHelpOntario.org---court based IllinoisLegalAid.org LawHelp.org/NY New York and MN fully bilingual English Spanish

23 LiveHelp does is not a significant drain on staff time, it is something staff can run in the background while working at their desks.

24 The chat tree can contain numerous specific topics.

25 Operators in the group account can work together.

26 Programmed responses from other states can be easily replicated.

27 Additional Resources Self Help Centers, Forms, self represented litigants, and groups: Alaska Self Help Center Lawhelp Interactive Or contact Claudia Johnson DIY New York Courts: Best Practices for Online Forms (webinar of 5/4/2010) with examples from CO, CA, PA, and Illinois (materials will be posted shortly).

28 Resources: Self Help Centers, Forms, self represented litigants, and groups: Alaska Self Help Center Lawhelp Interactive Or contact Claudia Johnson DIY New York Courts: Best Practices for Online Forms (webinar of 5/4/2010) with examples from CO, CA, PA, and Illinois (materials will be posted shortly).

29 LiveHelp Replication resources Liz Keith LawHelp Program Manager, Pro Bono Net (415) Sam Alpert Americorps*VISTA Member Pro Bono Net (406) x 25 salpert@probono.net Support resources on SWEB Support Site: