Going Virtual to Expand Access presented by Stephanie Kimbro Attorney, Kimbro Legal Services, LLC LSC TIG Annual Conference January 11, 2012

Online companies such as Legal Zoom, when available for specific areas of law, are being turned to by the public and individuals who may otherwise have consulted with a lawyer. There is a growing online market for legal services. In July one month alone - an estimated 434,000 people in the US searched online seeking legal solutions through the Legal Zoom website.

Customer service has changed. THEN NOW All law firms must make CUSTOMER SERVICE a part of delivering quality legal services.

Good Customer Service = Communicating and being accessible using methods that are currently embraced and relied upon by clients. They are used to using social media with friends and family online.

The public conducts the following tasks online: Shop Sell Bank Invest Trade Pay Taxes E-file Obtain degrees Work

Are we ready to serve the “Digital Natives”?

Online Delivery Benefits For the Public  Use of tech decreases costs and streamlines boilerplate work. o Savings are passed down to the clients o Allows private practitioners to handle more pro bono work.  Clients may handle legal needs without taking time off work or paying for child care  Access for clients in remote or rural areas  Lessens burden on court systems handling pro-se litigants

Virtual Law Practice A virtual law office is a professional law practice that is located online through a secure portal and is accessible to both the client and the attorney anywhere the parties may access the Internet. Depends on Cloud Computing, SaaS Username: Password: LOGIN

How Attorneys Use Virtual Law Offices Completely Web-based  Unbundled or limited legal services Integrated into a traditional law office  Unbundled and full-service

Unbundling Legal Services Break out tasks associated with a legal matter and provide the client with only specific portions of the legal work Clearly define for online client the nature and scope of unbundled legal services – what will and will NOT be covered Provide comparisons/education for the client to make an informed judgment ABA Model Rule 1.2(c) “A lawyer may limit the scope of the representation if the limitation is reasonable under the circumstances.

Sample Unbundled Services Ghostwriting Drafting pleadings, briefs, declarations or orders Document review Conducting legal research Negotiating Making limited appearances Advising on court procedures and courtroom behavior Coaching on strategy or role playing Preparing exhibits Organizing discovery materials Drafting contracts and agreements Providing legal guidance or opinions Providing direction to resources such as local and state rules “Collaborative lawyering”

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Online Case & Client Management Clients have access to their own online case files with limited control Backend online law office with case and client management Other law practice management tools

Traditional Firm w/Virtual Law Office

Multijurisdictional Virtual Law Firm

Virtual Law Office - Home Office

Future Online Delivery Movement from passive law firm web sites to interactive virtual law firms. Pressured by change in consumer behavior and competitors like LegalZoom and branded networks. WatsonJD, FairOutcomes.com & applications of AI

Other Forms of Online Legal Service Delivery Web Calculators Web Advisors Legal Q&A sites Legal Crowdsourcing Online dispute resolution (ODR) Increasing Use of Social Media Collaborating with branded networks to deliver unbundled services online How can a Legal Aid Program collaborate and/or integrate some of these emerging technology trends to increase access and appeal to private practitioners?

Branded Network Concept

For Legal Aid Programs: How will you: Identify candidates for online delivery? Match lawyer volunteers with prospective online limited scope matters? Integrate online delivery methods? Address technology and security concerns in serving clients online? Use tech to collaborate with private practitioners, law schools, and legal SaaS providers to increase access to justice? Future innovations in the delivery of legal services will include more applications to allow the public to directly interact with their attorney online.