Pat Malone is the Legal Director of New York Justice Initiatives at Pro Bono Net. She leads legal and content strategy for LawHelpNY and across initiatives and programs. Pat has extensive experience working with partners, managing projects, and creating legal content for advocates and impacted communities. Her expertise includes writing “smart” interviews, plain language articles, legal updates, practice guides, and newsletters. She brings together experts to create webinars, podcasts, and other legal training materials for the field. Pat has a deep background in immigration law practice, training, and project management.

As promised, Pro Bono Net was well-represented at last week’s New York Statewide Civil Legal Aid Technology Conference. 

On Day One, Pro Bono Net’s Legal Solutions Designer Alison Corn joined our partners from JustFix and The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) to cover the basics on website accessibility. Sateesh Nori from JustFix introduced and moderated the panel. Jessica Frank from CALI covered a number of key accessibility tips, with an emphasis on plain language writing.  Alison brought first-hand knowledge and experience working with partners on accessible websites and content . One particularly interesting tip: use a dyslexia-friendly font to welcome a broader audience. Learn more about fonts and other tips from the panelists on their slide deck.

On Day Two, our Senior Program Manager Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz joined two panels to share her expertise. The first, Beyond Zoom: Building Long-Term Remote Legal Help Programs to Expand Legal Services to Patients, also featured our friends and partners Kerlann L. Flowers and Emily Manning from the Hofstra Law-Northwell Medical Legal Partnership (MLP). Erin Riker, from the Center for Elder Law and Justice moderated. 

To kick-off the conversation, the panelists surveyed attendees on remote legal services vs. traditional in-person legal services.  Most preferred a mix: 

The panelists discussed tools and strategies for the medical legal partnership, including Remote Legal Connect (RLC). RLC is a Pro Bono Net program with secure online meetings, lite case management, and document sharing capabilities.  

Click here for the panel’s slide deck and here for an article by Jeanne, with more notes on the conference session.

Finally, Jeanne joined everyone’s favorite panel: 25 Apps in 50 Minutes.  The panel included PBN alumni Quisquella Addison, Assistant Teaching Professor at Northeastern University School of Law; Robert Ambrogi, Publisher, LawSites blog and LawNext podcast; Shellie S. Reid of Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP); and, Quinten Steenhuis, Practitioner in Residence at Suffolk University Law School.  Emeritus Panelist Tim Baran (PBN) moderated.

As the panel zipped through their favorite tools, we could imagine an online meeting attended only by the app we each send to record and take notes on our behalf.  Click here for the slide deck and 24 other cool ideas. 

Pro Bono Net’s New York Justice Initiatives

Our New York Justice Initiatives bring the power of the law to all by expanding access to legal help for the underserved, mobilizing pro bono volunteers and helping our justice community partners throughout the state maximize their impact. Learn more about PBN’s New York Justice Initiatives, visit: https://www.probono.net/our-work/initiatives/newyork/. Or to learn more about other Pro Bono Net programs, visit: https://www.probono.net/programs/.