Jillian Theil is the Pro Bono Net Training and Field Support Coordinator and has been with Pro Bono Net since 2011. She manages the LSNTAP/PBN Community Training series. 

 LSNTAP and PBN recently held a webinar on evaluations, “From Investment to Impact: Recent Outcomes Evaluations of Legal Aid Tech Projects.” The training explored technology project evaluation approaches from legal aid and other fields, and reviewed designing and executing evaluations in resource constrained environments. The webinar was moderated by Claudia Johnson of Pro Bono Net. 

The first presentation by Keith Porcaro and Valerie Elephant of SIMLab kicked off by discussing their organization’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) framework. The framework was inspired by one used commonly in the international development community and in humanitarian settings. They also introduced a new evaluation site they have started, inspired by the evaluation process, feedbackmechanisms.org and evaluation considerations in the legal aid/legal technology setting.

Next, Tara Saylor of Q2 Consulting discussed the Logic Model evaluation framework in the context of an evaluation project for the Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. She also discussed some key ideas for executing an evaluation when faced with resource constraints. The presentation ended with some great discussion and Q&A with the audience on evaluations in the legal aid technology space. 

Be sure to check out materials available on the SWEB Support Site and join us for the next LSNTAP/PBN webinar, “Future-Proofing Your Projects: Maintenance, Succession, and Continuity Planning.” 


LSNTAPLSNTAP helps nonprofit legal aid programs improve client services through effective and innovative use of technology. To do this, we provide technology training, maintain information, create online tools, and host community forums such as the LStech email list. Read about us, or contact us at info@lsntap.org for more information.