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Pro Bono Net staff members will be presenting on a variety of equal justice issues at the 2018 Equal Justice Conference (EJC) this week in California. The Conference takes place May 10th – 12th in San Diego and is hosted by the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit leader in increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and collaboration. Our staff is made up of a cross-disciplinary team from legal, technology, and community engagement backgrounds who are committed to finding innovative, sustainable solutions for expanding access to justice. The Equal Justice Conference brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to the poor. Staff members will present on a wide range of topics, including cutting-edge collaboration models in the justice communities, technology to expand pro bono participation, and designing and delivering better tools to assist self-represented litigants.

Continue Reading Pro Bono Net at this year’s Equal Justice Conference

Several Pro Bono Net staff members will be presenting at multiple sessions on a variety of equal justice issues at the 2017 NLADA Annual Conference, December 6th-9th. NLADA brings together more than 700 equal justice advocates each year to participate in substantive workshops on topics critical to helping effectively meet the legal needs of low-income people. This year’s NLADA conference theme is “Safeguarding Justice for All.”

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit leader in increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and collaboration. Pro Bono Net’s staff is made up of a cross-disciplinary team from legal, technology, and community engagement backgrounds who are committed to finding innovative, sustainable solutions for expanding access to justice. Pro Bono Net will present on a wide range of topics, including innovative uses of online document assembly and technology to expand pro bono participation.

Staff attending the conference includes Mark O’Brien, Executive Director; Audrey Roofeh, Director of Program Delivery; Quisquella Addison, LawHelpNY Program Director, Claudia Johnson, LawHelp Interactive Program Manager; Mirenda Meghelli, LawHelp Interactive Program Coordinator, and Mike Grunenwald, Program Coordinator.

For more details on each workshop, please visit the NLADA website here.

Thursday, December 7

4:15 – 5:45 pm

Building tools for Self Represented Litigants: LawHelp Interactive and A2J Author

  • John Mayer, CALI
  • Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net

Friday, December 8

8:30 – 10:00 am

Urban Pro Bono Meets Rural Clients:  Remote Services Delivery Models in Action

  • Lillian Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
  • Melody Harkness, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
  • Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net
  • Mike Grunenwald, Pro Bono Net

10:30-12pm

Big Ideas: The Future of Pro Bono

  • Sharon Goldsmith, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
  • Mark O’Brien, Pro Bono Net
  • Eve Runyan, Pro Bono Institute
  • Steve Scudder, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service

4:15 – 5:45 pm

How you can Leverage Online Forms to Enhance your Staff and Pro Bono Attorney’s Work

  • Lillian Moy and Melody Harkness, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
  • Neil Steinkamp, Ross Risius Stout
  • Courtney Smith, Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
  • Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net

 

National Legal Aid Defender Association (NLADA) is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. They provide advocacy, guidance, information, training, and technical assistance for members of the equal justice community, especially those working in public defense and civil legal aid.

NLADA’s Annual Conference is the leading national training event of the year for the civil legal aid, indigent defense, and public interest law communities. The conference offers advocates the substantive information and professional skills they need to respond to the legal needs of low-income people, provides unparalleled opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from across the country, and helps fulfill continuing legal education requirements.

At the 2017 Equal Justice Conference (EJC) this week, several Pro Bono Net staff members will be presenting on a variety of equal justice issues. The Conference takes place May 3-6th in Pittsburgh and is hosted by the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit leader in increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and collaboration. Pro Bono Net’s staff is made up of a cross-disciplinary team from legal, technology, and community engagement backgrounds who are committed to finding innovative, sustainable solutions for expanding access to justice.

The Equal Justice Conference brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to the poor. Pro Bono Net will present on a wide range of topics, including emerging technology trends in the equial justice community, technology to expand pro bono participation, and designing and delivering better tools to assist self-represented litigants.

Staff attending the conference includes Mark O’Brien, Executive Director; Liz Keith, Program Director; Claudia Johnson, LawHelp Interactive Program Coordinator; Mike Grunenwald, Program Coordinator;  Sam Halpert, LawHelp Program Coordinator; and Jessica Stuart, Pro Bono Manager Product Manager.

Pro Bono Net staff are participating in the following pre-conference activities and conference workshops. For more details on each workshop, please visit the EJC website here.

Thursday, 10 AM

Emerging Technology: Envisioning Broad Benefits to Legal Aid
  • IV Ashton, LegalServer and Houston.AI
  • Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net
  • David Neumeyer, Virginia Legal Aid Society
  • Roger Skalbeck, University of Richmond School of Law
Hot Topics in Civil Right to Counsel: Pilots, Research Results, Legislation
  • Lise Adams, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center
  • Mike Grunenwald, Pro Bono Net
  • Mairi McKeever, Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco
  • John Pollock, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel

Thursday, 11:45 AM

LawHelp / probono.net / LawHelp Interactive Network Gathering

Room 301

Programs are invited to share project highlights and connect with others around the country working on or interested in LawHelp.org, probono.net or LHI online forms initiatives. Pick up your lunch in the gallery and join us in room 301!  Contact Liz Keith at lkeith@probono.net with any questions.

Thurdsay, 1:30 PM

Delivering Better Tools to Self-Represented Litigants: Tips for Websites and Document Assembly
  • Sam Halpert, Pro Bono Net
  • Rochelle Klempner, New York State Courts Access to Justice Program
  • Angela Tripp, Michigan Legal Help Program

Friday, 8:30 AM

Closing the Justice Gap with Remote Service Delivery
  • Mike Grunenwald, Pro Bono Net
  • Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net
  • Lillian Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New Yor

Friday, 10:30 AM

Big Ideas: The Future of Pro Bono
  • Kevin Curnin, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
  • Sharon Goldsmith, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
  • Mark O’Brien, Pro Bono Net
  • Eve Runyon, Pro Bono Institute
  • Steve Scudder, American Bar Association
  • Joe Sullivan, Pepper Hamilton
  • Witold “Vic” Walczak, ACLU of Pennsylvania

Friday, 1:45 PM

Learning to Love and Use Your Data
  • Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net
  • Sam Halpert, Pro Bono Net
  • Mary Kaczorek, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid

Friday, 1:45 PM

50 Tech Tips
  • David Bonebrake, Legal Services Corporation
  • Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net
  • Glenn Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation
  • Jane Ribadeneyra, Legal Services Corporation
  • Brian Rowe, Northwest Justice Project

About Pro Bono Net

Pro Bono Net is a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to justice. Through innovative technology solutions and expertise in building and mobilizing justice networks, Pro Bono Net transforms the way legal help reaches the underserved. Comprehensive programs including www.probono.net, www.lawhelp.org,  www.lawhelpinteractive.org and the Immigration Advocates Network, enable legal advocates to make a stronger impact, increase volunteer participation, and empower the public with resources and self-help tools to improve their lives.

About the Equal Justice Conference

The Equal Justice Conference, hosted by the American Bar Association and NLADA, brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to the poor and low-income individuals in need of legal assistance.

The emphasis of this Conference is on strengthening partnerships among the key players in the civil justice system. Through plenary sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and special programming, the Conference provides a wide range of learning and sharing experiences for all attendees.

 

The National Legal Aid & Defender Association‘s 2016 Annual Conference starts today and Pro Bono Net is participating! The NLADA’s annual training conference provides the opportunity for those in the civil legal aid, indigent defense, and public interest law communities to exchange ideas and further develop their professional skills. Mark O’Brien, Sam Halpert and Mike Grunenwald will be representing Pro Bono Net at this year’s conference. Keep reading to learn more about Pro Bono Net’s participation.

Statewide Justice Portal Initiative Update and Technology’s Role in 100% Access Efforts

Thursday, 4:15 – 5:45 pm
Speakers: Glen Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation; Lucy Bassli, Microsoft; and Mark O’Brien, Pro Bono Net

In April, the Legal Services Corporation, Microsoft, and Pro Bono Net announced a new partnership to develop up to two statewide “justice portal” pilots to designed to help ensure that all people with civil legal needs can navigate their options at each step of the process and more easily access solutions and services available from legal aid, the courts, the private bar and community partners. The technical approach will use open standards and be open sourced to facilitate replication and contributions by other technology partners in the future. This workshop will provide an update on the project thus far, the conceptual vision for the portal and the selection process for pilot jurisdictions. We will also discuss how both existing and new technology initiatives can support the 100 percent access vision and strengthen the work of state justice communities working toward it.

 

Turning Data into Intelligence: Using the Data Our Programs Produce to Improve Services and Generate More Dollars

Friday, 2:30 – 4 pm
Speakers: Ken Smith, The Resource for Great Programs; Alex Gulotta, Bay Area Legal Aid; and Sam Halpert, Pro Bono Net

Every day, our programs generate a wealth of data such as intake statistics, case outcomes data, client demographics, and on-line form user statistics. Ken Smith, President of The Resource for Great Programs, will be conducting the workshop session on this topic, joined by co-presenters Alex Gulotta, Executive Director of Bay Area Legal Aid (and chairperson of NLADA’s board) and Sam Halpert, LawHelp Program Coordinator at Pro Bono Net. This session will show three examples to demonstrate to participants how their programs can turn raw data into strategic intelligence for use in program improvement and fundraising.

 

Smart Advocates Use Smart Forms: Better Advocacy through Document Automation

Saturday, 10:30 am – noon
Speakers: Josh Goodwin, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services; Mark Lauritsen, Capstone Practice Systems; Gelnn Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation

More than 40 states have forms on Pro Bono Net’s Law Help Interactive (LHI), the national automated document server. But most of those forms are targeted for client self-help, not for advocates. Document automation has been around for more than 30 years, and yet most legal services advocates are still drafting pleadings by using search and replace or cut and paste. Evaluations of LSC TIG projects have shown that advocates can reduce the time it takes to prepare forms for their cases by more than 30 percent by using automated forms for the most common practice areas. Not only that, having automated forms ensures that changes in the law are immediately reflected in the forms of every advocate. These same forms can be provided to pro bono attorneys so that they can be more comfortable representing clients outside their usual areas of practice. This session will help you develop a strategy for introducing or expanding automated forms to support the work of the advocates and pro bono attorneys for your program.

There are several other workshops of interest to legal aid and pro bono technology initiatives listed in the full agenda: http://www.nlada.org/2016AnnualConference

 

NLADANLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. Their Annual Conference is the leading national training event of the year for the civil legal aid, indigent defense, and public interest law communities. The conference offers advocates the substantive information and professional skills they need to respond to the legal needs of low-income people, provides unparalleled opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from across the country, and helps fulfill continuing legal education requirements.

The annual National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s conference, Blueprint For Justice: Designing a New Paradigm for Impact, will take place in Arlington, Virginia starting today.  Pro Bono Net’s Executive Director, Mark O’Brien, along with Liz Keith, Program Director, and Claudia Johnson, LawHelp Interactive Program Manager, will present on a variety of panels about innovations in civil legal aid.

Fifty years after the launch of the War on Poverty, poverty remains a persistent problem in America, however, innovations in technology have allowed for significant progress in the provision of civil legal aid. With ever-expanding caseloads for full time attorneys and dwindling resources for legal services and courts, Pro Bono Net staff will join speakers from across the country to focus on how these innovations in technology have allowed for broader access to legal assistance.

Pro Bono Net staff are slated to participate in the following panels:

  • The Role of Forms and Interviews in Supporting the Work of Lay Advocates –  Mark O’Brien, Pro Bono Net; Alex Rabanal, Chicago-Kent College of Law; Glenn Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation
  • Innovations in Civil Legal Aid  – Sarah Frush, Legal Aid Bureau, Inc; Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net; Jan May, Legal Counsel for the Elderly; Patricia Pap, Management Information Exchange;  Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association; Jonathan Pyle, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
  • Expanding Expungement: Leveraging Technology & Implementing Innovative Strategies – Sharon Dietrich, Community Legal Services; Michael Hollander, Community Legal Services;  Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net
  • The War on Poverty: Doing It with Modern Tools – Michael Hollander, Community Legal Services; Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net; Tanina Rostain, Georgetown Law School ; Gordon Shaw, Community Legal Aid

We hope to see many of our partners and stakeholders at the conference, in panels, and at our PBN Affinity Group Meeting on Thursday from 12-2:00pm!

Although this was not my first time attending NLADA, one aspect of this year’s discussions hit me harder than it had in years past.  While it could be the session I attended, it seemed that amongst the many innovative workshops a growing number focused on data and statistics.  Not just why agencies must collect data, which seems to be moving from the focus of discussion to a premise, but into more complex ways of collecting, using and visualizing data. The following are just a few of my personal take-aways from this year’s conference:

 I am generally math-phobic… and I should probably get over that.

I am definitely one of those people on whom statistics is lost. Friends have joked that the reason I became a lawyer is that there is no math on the LSAT.  But having a working knowledge of types and quality of data and more information on reporting not only makes reading and understanding statistical data easier, but allows for a more thoughtful and reflective experience.  Ken Perri, Executive Director at Legal Assistance of Western New York, Jeff Hogue, Supervising Attorney at LawNY, and Bonnie Hough, managing attorney  at the California Administrative Office of the Court, Center for Families , Children and the Courts distilled many of these concepts incredibly well, and their materials are currently available from the session: “The Difference We Make”.

Gathering Data: Not just for reporting.  

With more and more of an emphasis on collecting data collaboratively, two of the early sessions focused on LSC’s project aimed at data collection and utilization.  In the session “Using Data to Improve the Delivery of Legal Services” James Sandman, President of the Legal Services Corporation, and two outside consultants – Dr. Sanjeev Khagram of Innovations for Scaling Impact and David Donbright of Keystone Accountability, described the findings of a survey they conducted regarding how legal services collects and utilized data, as well as next steps for the project.  The information presented can be found on LSC’s website. This was also reviewed in a second session “Relying on Data: New Initiatives to Increase Access to Justice”.

 Also of focus in the latter session, Chuck Greenfield, Chief Counsel, Civil Programs at NLADA showed NLADA’s own Civil Legal Aid Search site.  This provides information on studies that have been done and that are currently in progress to quantify issues impacting civil legal services and that can be used to think through new and different studies we would like to see in this arena. In addition, it looked back on statistics results and methodologies of past studies.

Once you’ve collected it… Data Visualization!

One interesting addition to the legal services data visualization world is a forthcoming site designed to visually capture a national justice index. In the same session, “Relying on Data: New Initiatives to Increase Access to Justice” David Udell and James Gamble from the National Center for Access to Justice and the Access to Justice Index Project previewed this site, which measures access to justice on several axis, and makes sense of the data in a geographically based interactive ways.  Check out the Access to Justice Index page at the National Center for Access to Justice at Cardozo Law School.

 Los Angeles Central Library is incredibly beautiful

This has nothing to do with data, but if you ever get a chance to check out the LA Public Library at 630 West 5th Street, it is an incredibly beautiful public library space. If you’re just visiting the city, it’s worth a special trip to see, and if you live in LA –  consider yourself lucky! In addition, the LA Law Library, just up the street, has a really robust partnership with the legal services community, and was one of the featured programs in the Libraries and Access to Justice webinar series.

 All in all, a really amazing conference in a beautiful city- can’t wait for next year in Arlington Virginia, to see where the data-driven discussion goes next!

Pro Bono Net will be attending the NLADA Annual Conference in Chicago this week, and we’d love to see you! Staff from virtually all of our major programs will be there:  Executive Director Mark O’Brien, Matthew Burnett from Immigration Advocates Network, Mirenda Watkins from LawHelp Interactive and Xander Karsten from LawHelp. Claudia Johnson will also be in town for the American Bar Foundation’s research workshop on Friday and Saturday.

We hope our partners will join us for a PBN/LawHelp/LHI network meeting in the Wisconsin room during the “lunch on your own” break from 12:00-1:30pm on Thursday. It will be great opportunity to share program highlights and connect with others around the country working on LawHelp.org, probono.net and LHI online forms projects.

Pro Bono Net will provide box lunches for up to 25 attendees. Please RSVP to lkeith@probono.net by Wednesday, December 5th. If you are not attending, please feel free to pass this on to colleagues and stakeholders who are.

You can also find us presenting at the workshops below.

THURSDAY, 12/6/2012

1:30 – 3PM

Electronic Filing — The Legal Aid Role in Ensuring Access Friendly Practices

Panelists: Mark O’Brien, Richard Zorza, Glenn Rawdon, Jean Lastine

 

3:30-5PM

The Implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Panelists: Matthew Burnett, Steve Eppler-Epstein, Charles Greenfield, John Keller, Susan Nofi-Bendici

 

FRIDAY, 12/7/2012

8:30 – 10AM

Connecting Clients with Legal Resources: Innovative Partnerships with Libraries to Serve People Seeking Legal Help

Panelists: Xander Karsten, Jean Lastine, Soha Saiyed, Teri Ross, Janine Liebert

 Remote Service Delivery: Going the Distance to Reach More Clients

Panelists: Mark O’Brien, Matthew Burnett, Elliott Fontenette, Mirenda Watkins

 

2:15-3:45PM

Ideas and Approaches for Access to Civil Justice Research: Bridging the Divides of Research and Practice (Poster Session)

Presenting: Claudia Johnson, Xander Karsten

 

4:00PM – 5:30PM

The Transformative Role of Automated Document Assembly in Building Self Help Project

Panelists: Mirenda Watkins, Josh Passman, Caroline Robinson, Gordon Shaw

 

There are several other sessions of interest to legal aid and pro bono technology initiatives. For the full agenda, visit:

http://www.nlada.org/Training/Train_Annual/Train_Annual_Home