Claudia C. Johnson, Program Manager LawHelp Interactivecjohnson@probono.net509-396-7934http://www.probono.net/dasupport

powered by Pro Bono Net

To Be Covered

•Assisting Self-Represented Litigants•Pro Bono Net•Addressing Your Community’s Needs

•The problem•How does it work?•Who and where?

•Business Case

What is LawHelp Interactive?

Software as a Service•Produces self-help friendly forms•Helps litigants fill out court forms•Saves time and money by eliminating errors

and improving workflow

Leverages significant national investments by• Legal Services Corporation• State Justice Institute• Since 2005 has served over 1 Million interviews

Who is Pro Bono Net?

Pro Bono Net• National nonprofit • Founded in 1998 with support from major law firms• Managing LawHelp Interactive since 2005

Mission• Increase access to justice for the poor

How?• Develop innovative technology• Facilitate collaboration• Increase pro bono participation• Four tools: online forms, websites, and web chat and data base

The problem

Courts and legal non profits and their partners are facingmore self-represented litigants while resources to support them are cut.

The problem

Litigants without lawyers produce forms that look like

this.

Hard to read

and

understand

Solution

With document assembly, litigants prepare forms that look like this.

Benefits

• Filings are legible and complete.

• Clerks file more forms in less time with significantly fewer rejections.

• Judges get information to make informed decisions, work more efficiently and reschedule fewer hearings.

• Litigants are more satisfied with process.• Litigants understand the process better and feel

ownership in the outcomes of the case.

Washington State experience

Litigants using NJP divorce module• 80% make $36k or less annually• 50% had filed legal documents before

• 60% saved at least 40 minutes using LHI• 75% gave more relevant information to the court

• 87% were satisfied or very satisfied with experience

“All I can suggest is to keep up the good work here, it was very easy to use and I will be recommending this site to everyone I know that is going through this difficult time.”

--Washington State LHI User

How does it work?

Self-represented litigants answer questions during guided interview.

Court forms filled out from the answers.

Answers can be saved and reused.

A2J Author® user experience powered by HotDocs Server® document automation software.

Demonstration of a form

Who is using LHI?

• 217,213 documents generated in 2011 or between 500 and 900 documents per day

• Over 3800 interviews in Ontario in 2011• Low income litigants without attorneys• In family law court• 10,380 documents emailed via LHI

nationally

Areas of Law

Family Law 143,245

Consumer Law 13,056

Housing 12,671

Wills and Estates 7,057

From where?

Public libraries

Law libraries

Self help centers like in Ontario

At court’s filing rooms

At kiosks

From home or from work

Web Chat (Live Help)

In some states, legal aid and courts are

using LiveHelp to help web page visitors

find the forms. Examples:

Arkansas, Montana, New York

LiveHelp integrated into a form

Other user feedback

• This is a great [hel[p], the interview is simple, clear and strai[g]ht forward. This site is well thought out and designed. Thanks a million for helping the community at large. –NY User

• These forms will be very helpful if the Judge will sign them, because I am unemployed and can not afford to hire a lawyer or pay the filing fees for my divorce. –NY User

• Thank you for your continued online support. Due to the fact that I am a disabled individual the online support is a great asset/tool that enable[d] me to take the necessary steps in legal resolution/relief. –IL User

• THIS IS A GREAT TOOL BEST THING EVER MAKE IT EASY TO USE—Colorado User

Resources:

Document Assembly support site for legalnon profits:http://www.probono.net/dasupport

For information on self help and publiclibraries: http://www.selfhelp.org

For LiveHelp and LawHelp (web chat and web tools information):

lkeith@probono.net (Liz Keith)