As the global COVID-19 pandemic and financial crisis exacerbated inequality and disproportionately affected people of color and low-income communities, it also increased the civil legal needs of many. By using LawHelp Interactive’s easy-to-use online forms, courts and nonprofits were immediately able to expand access to critical legal documents and empower those who the American legal
Filling the Access to Justice Gap with LawHelp Interactive
After filing to go public on June 4th, LegalZoom debuted on the market Wednesday, June 30th. Shares opened at 31% above offer price, highlighting the important role that the market can play in supporting initiatives to broaden access to legal services. LegalZoom’s success is cause for celebration, coming as a result of increasing interest by
The Family Offense Petition Project: Increased Usage for New York State Tool for Advocates
Throughout the past year, Pro Bono Net has worked with courts and legal aid programs facing closures and service disruptions to ensure vital protection for at risk domestic violence survivors. Our LawHelp Interactive program, which helps people create free and accurate legal forms, is a key strategy in this work.
In New York State, the
Pro Bono Net is Rising to Meet the Challenge to Respond to COVID-19 | Pro Bono Week 2020
Pro Bono Net would like to recognize the thousands of volunteer lawyers who make a huge difference for those in need and the incredibly important work of pro bono volunteers in building our capacity to meet the vast unmet need for civil legal services.
This year, National Pro Bono Week’s theme is “Rising to
Technology and Partnerships Make Trauma Informed Domestic Violence Services a Reality
Online forms have long been a key resource for those in need of a domestic violence order. Across the US, LawHelp Interactive-powered forms help thousands of victims a year create and file their domestic violence protective orders and petitions. Between June to September 2020, LawHelp Interactive (LHI) created approximately 18,500 free domestic violence pleadings, or
Legal Service Providers lay out Language Justice Landscape Amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated language justice barriers in health care, access to vital benefits and access to legal support. A ProPublica investigation found that at the height of New York’s COVID-19 outbreak, non-English speakers were getting delayed and worse care. On Wednesday, June 3, 2020 the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division hosted a
Pro Bono Net Captures First American Legal Technology Awards for Access to Justice and Technology
On September 15th, the American Legal Technology Awards (ALTA) announced that Pro Bono Net received its inaugural Access to Justice award. The ALTA awards “honor companies and individuals who are making a difference in law through technology innovation,” noted Bob Ambrogi in his piece spotlighting the nominees.
The Access to Justice award recognizes “an
LawHelp Interactive Tool Helps Renters Sue for Emergency Repairs from their phones
JustFixNYC, a tenant’s rights organization, recently launched a LawHelp Interactive-powered mobile and web application, the Emergency Housing Part Action tool, that allows renters to sue their landlord for emergency repairs that are required by New York City renter protections. This integration with LawHelp Interactive was developed under an Legal Services Corporation Technology Innovation
Case Study: DC Courts Pivot During Pandemic to Keep Court Services Online for DV Victims
Even before the pandemic led courts to completely shutter or severely limit services, Pro Bono Net’s technology was taking root in District of Columbia Courts, helping individuals navigate the domestic violence process.
Legal services organizations were already seeing an increase in domestic violence matters nationwide, with more than 137,000 cases handled by Legal Services Corporation-funded
Using Tech to Magnify the Goodness of Inclusive Legal Services
As a recent podcast guest on Reimagining Justice, LawHelp Interactive Program Manager Claudia Johnson talks about how using smart-form technology can break down barriers for those who are heading to court without a lawyer.
Johnson, who has an extensive background working with low-income clients, also shares how critical it is for lawyers to be