1. Innovative Technology Uses in New and Existing Pro Bono Projects
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Stephanie Villinski Illinois Legal Aid Online
Mary Kaczorek Legal Services State Support
Adam Friedl Pro Bono Net

2. Innovative Technology Uses in New & Existing Pro Bono Projects
Stephanie Villinski, Legal Content Manager

3. About Illinois Legal Aid Online
IllinoisLegalAid.org: Legal information & self-help for IL residents
AyudaLegalIL.org: Legal information & self-help for Spanish speakers in Illinois
IllinoisLegalAdvocate.org: Training & practice support for legal-aid advocates
IllinoisProBono.org: Volunteer opportunities & training for pro bono legal professionals

4. Improve on Virtual Brick & Mortar

5. Leverage What You Have More opportunities at this organization
Helpful legal guides
Webcasts of past trainings

6. Together Is Better
Planning
Prototype
People

7. Resources for Outreach
Even if you build it, they might not come
Set aside staff time
Additional bug finder
Over 1,050 exposed to system since October 2013

8. Stay on Course Change Needs Accommodation Legal Aid Big Firm Pro bono
Midsize/
Small Firm
Change
Needs
Accommodation

9. Takeaways Define scope & sustainability Identify the “right” problems
Impartial voice
Ongoing documentation

10. Mary Kaczorek Legal Services State Support

11. State Support A project of the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition
Prevent duplication of effort between regional legal aid offices
Poverty law trainings
LawHelpMN.org & ProJusticeMN.org
Large technology projects, e.g. online intake, document assembly, e-filing

12. Statewide online legal advice system
Building on regional online advice pilot project in Northwest Minnesota
Low-income clients ask questions via the online system
Volunteer attorneys provide the clients with legal advice
Based on successful statewide Tennessee model,

13. A Note on Replication Benefits of Replication
Less expensive
Not duplicative
Already tested
Easier sell – can use founding program’s data and experiences to help gather support
Founding program may serve as a resource for you
Challenges of Replication
Less choice
Modifying existing technology can be difficult

14. Selling points
Another access point to get connected with legal services
Another referral source for legal services providers
Earlier intervention
Convenient
Geographic Reach
Easy to administer 
Proven
Received state funding through Minnesota’s Legal Services Advisory Committee
Grant term July 2013 – June 2014

15. Milestone 1: Project Scoping and Non-Technical Planning
State Support will engage in the following scoping and non-technical planning activities:
identify project stakeholders;
make policy and approach decisions (such as income limits, scope of information to be collected during screening, etc.);
explore and address ethical issues (including the applicability of Rule 6.5 and other conflicts considerations);
explore and address malpractice issues;
draft interview questions;
develop volunteer attorney outreach plan and materials;
promote availability of tool to prospective volunteer attorneys; and
develop client outreach plan and materials.
Milestone 2: Technical Planning
State Support will engage in the following technical planning activities:
hardware purchase (servers) and software setup;
software customization (including technical implementation of MN-specific screening questions, rebranding to be MN-specific, and changing referral links); and
site roll-out.
Anticipated Timeline for Milestones 1 and 2: July 2013 through December 2013

16. Lesson #1: Timelines Simultaneous vs. sequential to-do items
e.g. how “draft interview questions” coordinates with “explore and address ethical issues”
Waiting time
Internal & external
Special considerations when working with volunteers
Special considerations when working with lawyers
Special considerations when working with technology
Timing outreach
Estimated v. actual timing
Pessimism > Optimism

17. Lesson #2: Stakeholders
Benefits
Different perspectives
Builds support for project in advocate community
Improves outreach
Helps prevent duplication between programs
Challenges
Conflicts between different stakeholder perspectives
Conflicts between stakeholders perspectives & your goals/agenda
Outline scope and role of stakeholders in advance
Advisory or decision-making?
Identify what items are already decided & what items are up for discussion

18. Lesson #3: Saying Yes Consider Good Questions What’s on the table
Scope of project
Practicality of implementation
Consequences
Good Questions
What is the perspective/reason behind the proposal? What weight should I give that perspective in the scope of my project?
Why am I saying yes to this? Are these reasons worth the difficulty of implementation?
How many changes/adaptations am I already making? How will this affect my timeline? Is this getting too complicated?
Will saying yes open the door to additional proposals that might conflict with other parts of the project or snowball beyond this project’s scope?

19. Lessons: Questions? Timelines Stakeholders Saying Yes
Mary Kaczorek, Legal Services State Support

20. Adam Friedl

21. If you Build it…

22. Ok, it actually doesn’t work like that at all
A successful marriage of tech and pro bono/legal services programs requires:
Careful thinking about the goals of tech use
A common vision and understanding amongst stakeholders
Enthusiastic promotion through multiple channels

23. New York Family Court Remote Volunteer Attorney Project
Brief, limited scope consultations provided through videoconference
Pilot started on Staten Island and expanded “upstate”
Overcome mismatch between location of available lawyers and location of clients in need

24. “Are you some Kind of Lumberjack Lawyer?”

25. Consumer Debt Clinics and Document Assembly
Walk-in clinics where pro se defendants receive brief counseling and help preparing papers
Large client demand, but services are time- consuming
Help clients prepare complex, but relatively routine, papers properly

26. Resources for Consumers

27. The “DEN” (Debt and Eviction Navigator)
Homebound elderly folks have limited access to legal services
Do receive regular visits from social workers
Allow non-lawyers to screen for Housing and Consumer Debt issues with an app – the DEN

28. Online, interactive triage tool for non-lawyers

29. The takeaways When in doubt, the simpler option is usually better.
Plan with your partners, and then plan some more. Also, make sure you plan.
Spread the word far and wide. Social media is great, but it’s one of many tools.

30. Thank you!