Legal Aid of Nebraska, in partnership with Pro Bono Net, is pleased to announce the launch of Legal Aid Connect (https://www.legalaidconnect.org/LAN). Legal Aid Connect is an on-line platform that enables Legal Aid of Nebraska to enroll, manage, and connect staff and pro bono attorneys with remotely located clients for advice, counsel and form preparation. Legal Aid of Nebraska offers free legal services to low-income people across the State of Nebraska.
Through Legal Aid Connect, Legal Aid of Nebraska can connect clients and pro bono attorneys, no matter where the client lives in the State. The attorneys meet virtually with their clients and simultaneously share, store, and complete documents during a consultation. This resource is particularly valuable during the ongoing pandemic. “The acquisition of Legal Aid Connect has helped us bridge the communication gap, caused by the pandemic, between attorneys and clients,” said Muirne Heaney, Managing Attorney of the Access to Justice Program at Legal Aid of Nebraska. “We already have used the platform for two name change clinics. The platform ran seamlessly. We were able to help many people with the name change process because of the platform. The platform has become an essential tool for communicating with clients.”
Because the platform operates through the internet, clients do not have to download or install any software, application or plug-ins, making it easier for the client to connect to the attorney. Legal Aid Connect also is mobile-friendly, giving clients a way to connect from their phones or portable devices. When an attorney and client finish their meeting, which may include document preparation and review, the client can get to the completed documents at any time, download or print, and file with the court. Both clients and attorneys can also access content created, updated and uploaded to Legal Aid Connect by Legal Aid of Nebraska.
To learn more about Remote Legal Connect’s uses in other regions, please visit https://www.probono.net/programs/rlc/. The Remote Legal Connect platform was originally created in partnership with Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) to stand up Family Legal Connection, a remote pro bono service for self represented family court litigants in New York. The platform was enhanced for use in other states with support from an American Bar Endowment Opportunity Grant, among other funders.