lsc board briefing: technology and innovations lsc board briefing: technology, collaboration and...

LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

LSC Board Briefing: Technology, Collaboration

and Innovation Opportunities

January 2011

1

OutlineI. Brief IntroductionsII.Overview and ThemesIII. History and Status of Legal Aid Technology InnovationIV. Court PerspectivesV. Private Sector Perspectives

(Discussion)VI. Some Options for Next Steps in Technology InnovationVII. Broader Innovation ThoughtsVIII. Brief Thoughts on Choosing Strategies

(Discussion)

LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations 2

I. Introduction to Panel • Scott Bravi, Chief Information Officer, Arnold

and Porter• Bonnie Hough, Managing Attorney, California

Administrative Office of the Courts• Mark O’Brien, Executive Director, Pro Bono Net• Alison Paul, Executive Director Montana Legal

Services Association• Richard Zorza, Consultant


II. Overview Themes Litigants and the System

• Technology improves outcomes and experience for clients and programs – more and better – need and opportunity

• Focused innovation has broad impact on delivery system as a whole

• Does not just increase efficiency, but adds new components of delivery system that reach additional groups

• Opening up system to more litigants (self-represented) provides even bigger payoff than increasing efficiency (also necessary)


Additional Overview ThemesImplications of Innovation

• Technology provides cost saving opportunities to identify and “treat” problems before they escalates and do most harm

• Technology allows shaping of program for vulnerable populations (both direct services, and staffed)

• Technology provides an opportunity for collaboration and innovation and creates relationships for expanding collaboration beyond the initial activity


Additional Overview ThemesLessons for Strategic Leadership• Incentives and grant maker discretion are critical in

encouraging innovations• Technology acts as a model and incubator for broader

innovation• Innovation is often less threatening when delivered

through technology – technique is to find the technology expression of innovation and that will speed acceptance and replication)

• Technology allows for support of strategic choices of LSC -- whatever they are


III. History and Status of Legal Aid Technology Innovation


A. History

• Early Pilots • 1998 Summit and focuses• TIG as catalyst and engine• SJI role and partnerships


B. Overview of current deployment and collaborations


Montana Legal Services Association


Technology makes more things possible………..

• Only Statewide Provider of Civil Legal Services in Montana• Annual Budget $3.2 million• 15 attorneys for est. 90,000 low income residents• 145,000 + square miles

Clients Served in 2010: 4,809Total Program Reach in 2010: 119,665

(includes advice and information, pro se assistance, direct representation by staff and pro bono attorneys, printed materials and web-based information)

Integrated Service Delivery System

• Website – Provides legal information and forms relevant to low income people

• LiveHelp – Provides chat assistance for website and document assembly

• Document Assembly – Automated forms make it easier for low income people to access court without counsel


12LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

Proven Effectiveness

• Website usage of MontanaLawHelp.org has more than doubled between 2003 and 2010

• More than 3,000 documents assembled with MT automated forms each year since inception

• Evaluation of websites has shown that users are satisfied with their experience and the information accessed


Service Delivery

• MLSA Helpline – centralized telephone intake and hotline supported by on-line application for services, web-based case management system and integrated document assembly

• Self-Help Clinics – automated forms, plus video conferencing and web-based training modules


Service Delivery

• Integrated Law Firm across State – web meetings, video conferencing, instant messaging, centralized documents

• Pro Bono Program – MontanaProBono.net provides web-based forms and information. Also case management system provides centralized case tracking, and pro bono attorney integration


IV. Court Perspectives


Coordination with LSC

• Statewide website coordination• Basic letters and simple forms on self-help

website • Sharing templates with other states – custody

agreements, jurisdiction decision trees • Joint funding for Orange County Legal

Services – ICAN!


LawHelp Interactive work in Los Angeles

• JusticeCorps students get basic information from litigants

• Fill that information into forms using Hotdocs program

• Prints out all forms needed for workshop, litigants fill in rest by hand in workshop after explanation

• Information saved for next two sessions• More thorough and comprehensive than many

attorneys pleadings


• Have computers do what they’re good at – repetitive data entry, calculations,typing in forms, saving data, prompting and answering simple questions

• Use humans for what they’re good at – asking and answering more complex questions,

emotional support 20LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

DASH program

• Allows volunteers in 4 locations to assist 36 litigants each morning with domestic violence pleadings – all reviewed by an attorney

• Now available for all DV shelters• Expanding to rural communities and tribal

lands – can be reviewed by self-help or urban pro bono attorneys


Suggests Question for Volunteer and Prompts Volunteer to Contact

Attorney.


• If a custody order is requested, the program automatically prints on the declaration: “I ask the Court for the custody and visitation orders described in the attached form DV-105 because: “.– (The volunteer is prompted to ask why the order is

needed.)• If the volunteer indicates litigant needs an interpreter, the

program automatically prints on the declaration: “I will need a [Spanish] interpreter for all proceedings in this case.”

Allows Attorney to Automatically Add Text To Declarations.


Working to build e-filing component

• Information could go directly into court computer system

• Simplifies filing for litigants and clerks• Basic materials for orders after hearing then

are in the system


New Grants

• To expand DASH to civil harassment – provide training throughout the state – statewide meeting on best practices

• To use model conservatorship program to provide remote support to rural areas – training, review of pleadings, etc.


V. Private Sector Perspectives

• Relentless connectivity• 4G networks widely deployed by 2012• Continued improvement in wired bandwidth as well

• Cloud• Potential for tremendous cost savings• Privacy/security concerns

• Virtualization• Makes which computer is being used irrelevant

• Tablets and Smartphones• The computer of the future

• Rich AV and Video telephony• Remember the Jetsons? The time has (almost) arrived• It will change the way we work


Discussion


VI. Some Options for Next Steps in Technology Innovation


A. Ultimate Approach and Court Partnering Options

• Use technology to implement Board’s Strategy • Court Partnering Options


Statewide coordination

• Equal Access fund – 10 million – 10% of funds to provide self help centers at court

• Seed money – 5 years, built partnerships• AOC provides coordination with courts,

systems changes, attorney/developer for LawHelp Interactive programs


Over time and with strong evaluations

• Courts now provide over $24 million for court based self help support – every court has self help center supervised by attorney – help more than 450,000 each year

• Now $27 million for legal services programs

• Significant AOC support


Other Support

• 2 statewide conferences each year for legal services and court based attorneys – one for family law, one general law and best practices

• Ability to change rules of court, forms, procedural guidelines

• Regular planning meetings


Ways to encourage development of coordinated delivery system

• Requiring agencies to keep info up to date on Lawhelp

• Incentive grants for joint planning with courts and legal services

• Requiring links on home page for self help with hours of info, services, etc.

• Requirements for referral lists, regular coordination meetings


B. Training and Expectations


Training

• Technology provides opportunities for enhanced training resources for programs– Substantive Law Training– Technology Training

• Programs can develop, collaborate and use web-based training modules (Colorado/Montana/Utah partnership)


Raising Expectations

• Continue funding for technology innovation through TIG grant program

• Continue annual TIG Conference as platform for encouraging innovation in field programs

• Evaluate programs on use of technology


C. Need for Data, Strategic Partnerships and Corporate

Relationships


Need for Data, • Readily available data sources

– Statewide Websites– LawHelp Interactive (Document Assembly)– Online Intake– LiveHelp

• Common data tagging / usage tracking– National Subject Matter Codes (NSMI)– Location (State / County / Zip)– Language

• Potential for National Aggregation / Analysis


Common National StandardsWashingonLawHelp.org 2010

Resources and Organizations ViewsPage ViewsBy Topic

Consumer & Debt 78,264 Youth Law & Education 7,980 Family Law 442,811 Health 19,304 Housing 74,346 Immigration 15,704 Aging / Elder Law 47,445 Native American Issues 2,250 Government Benefits 31,606 Employment / Farm Worker Rights 14,950 Civil Rights 4,837 Mental Health 463 Domestic Violence & Anti-harassment 9,392 Criminal 14,153 Veterans & Military 1,162 Total 800,932

40

By Topic > Subtopic

Consumer & Debt 78,264 Debt collection 39,994 Bankruptcy 13,979 Public Utilities 3,157 Small Claims Court 2,575 Home owners 2,217 Energy assistance, utilities 1,194 Foreclosure 1,091 Student loans 963 Drivers and professional licenses 885

LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

Public

Access

Partners

• Strategic networking collaborations to expand public access to information and tools– Courts– Libraries– Veterans centers– DV shelters– Community technology centers– Healthcare

• Value in identifying and sharing best practices nationally to support local work


Strategic Corporate Relationships• Complex to structure for mutual benefit• Need to be driven by strategic priorities• Corporation’s leadership role can be key• Examples


• Document Assembly • GIS mapping

• Online search / visibility • Mobile technologies

• Data mining / analytics

VII. Broader Innovation Thoughts

• Opportunity for LSC as national access transformation leader leading to possible national ATJ Commission with national bipartisan agenda

• Three prong overall strategy – Courts (self-help, forms, etc)– Bar (pro bono and market restructuring)– Legal aid efficiency and availability• Needs studies and research (triage and access

maximization with delivery experiments)


Broader Innovation Thoughts – Some Specifics

• National tech-delivery structure options• Incentivizing program management innovation• Evidence driven service and staffing protocols• Competitive discretionary grants with sufficient time and

resources• Mini-grants to take advantage of immediate research and

collaboration opportunities• Administrative agency access to justice collaborations

(not just tech)


Potential Summit on Next Generation Technology and

Access • Why now?• Areas of focus

– Broadband– Mobility– Data mining– Social media

• Attendees for future collaboration• Board role for leadership


VIII Thoughts on General Strategic Choices

• What kind of organization and overall strategic vision do you want?• What capacities and potential does technology provide that were not

there before?• What partners are there, including for funding?• What changes will be permanent, create ongoing change, and

provide most options for the future as you choose your overall strategy?

• How does a Technology Agenda support and enhance those strategies?

• What short term Technology Strategy will support whatever long term LSC strategic plan is developed?


Discussion


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