Pro Bono Law Ontario believes that the power of the personal computer, the World Wide Web, and other technologies can broaden the reach of the valuable work conducted by legal services practitioners. A core part of PBLO's focus is exploring new ways to serve eligible persons and build pro bono programming capacity. Luckily for us, there is tremendous interest in exploring new technologies throughout the American poverty law community and we take full advantage of these resources.

This same interest in technology is starting to take hold in Canada as legal aid and pro bono organizations begin to explore things like online pro se resources, online document assembly, live help or law lines, and urban-to-rural technology initiatives. Many people come to us for information about these resources, so the following is a summary of key U.S. technology resources.

 

LSNTAP – Legal Services National Technology Initiative Project

LSNTAP provides technology leadership to the poverty law community through on-site assistance, tutorials & training, online information & services, and promoting successful technology tools that improve efficiency or client services. NTAP receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation Technology Initiative Grants, and is supported by over 50 legal aid programs across the country.

LSNTAP’s wiki site is a great portal for information on training and legal aid technology tools being used across the country. Visit the LSTech Resource Centre for a comprehensive list of technology tools being used across the country. The LSNTAP email listserve is a great way to stay connected on what is happening in the U.S. You can subscribe HERE.

 

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Technology Initiative Grants (TIG)

This is a briliant program provided by the LSC: grants to develop new technology tools. TIG funding has provided LSC with a remarkable opportunity to explore new ways to serve eligible persons and to help build legal aid programs' capacities. It has supported projects to develop, test and replicate technologies that improve client access to high quality legal information and pro se assistance. It has also helped programs develop their technological infrastructure generally. Each year, usually around January, there is a TIG Conference where the grantees present on their intiatives, and loads of other technology information is exchanged. Click HERE for presentations from the 2008 conference.

 

Pro Bono Net

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organization based in New York City and San Francisco that works in partnership with nonprofit legal organizations across the United States and Canada to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer.

Pro Bono Net offers 4 technology products:
1) Advocate website tool (probono.net)
2) Public legal help tool (lawhelp.org)
3) Document assembly national server (npado.org)
4) Law firm pro bono management tool (probono.net/pbm)

 

PBLO and PBLA (Pro Bono Law Alberta) have built their web sites on the Pro Bono Net platform. PBLO also participates in the document assembly project that builds online forms using HotDocs and A2J.

American Bar Association Annual Equal Justice Conference

The Equal Justice Conference brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to the poor and low-income individuals in need of legal assistance. The emphasis of this Conference is on strengthening partnerships among the key players in the civil justice system. Through plenary sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and special programming, the Conference provides a wide range of learning and sharing experiences for all attendees. Pro bono and legal services program staff, judges, corporate counsel, court administrators, private lawyers, paralegals, and many others attend this event.

 

Other Good Resources to Check Out

Illinois Legal Aid Online
One of the more advance online systems that brings together pro bono and legal aid and provides a wealth of technology tools including videos and document assembly.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance
This Maine legal services organization makes great use of technology  throughout their web site.

SelfHelpSupport.org
Resource centre of self-help materials for administrators of court, pro bono or legal aid programs. (Log in registration required.)

LawHelp.org
Public legal help portal powered by Pro Bono Net.

Technola Blog
Great blog by two Pro Bono Net staff offering current information on technology items relevant to the legal aid community.

Nonprofit Technology Network
Tech community for nonprofit organizations. Lots of great resources and another excellent annual conference on technology.

Self-Represented Litigants Network
This online network brings together courts and access to justice organizations in support of innovations in services for the self represented.