LSC Board Briefing: Technology, Collaboration and Innovation Opportunities January 2011

1. LSC Board Briefing: Technology, Collaboration and Innovation OpportunitiesJanuary 2011 LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

2. Outline I. Brief Introductions II. Overview and Themes III. History and Status of Legal Aid Technology Innovation IV. Court Perspectives • Private Sector Perspectives (Discussion) VI. Some Options for Next Steps in Technology Innovation VII. Broader Innovation Thoughts • Brief Thoughts on Choosing Strategies (Discussion) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

3. I. Introduction to Panel • Scott Bravi, Chief Information Officer, Arnold and Porter • Bonnie Hough, Managing Attorney, California Administrative Office of the Courts • Mark O’Brien, Executive Director, Pro Bono Net • Alison Paul, Executive Director Montana Legal Services Association • Richard Zorza, Consultant LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

4. II. Overview Themes Litigants and the System • Technology improves outcomes and experience for clients and programs – more and better – need and opportunity • Focused innovation has broad impact on delivery system as a whole • Does not just increase efficiency, but adds new components of delivery system that reach additional groups • Opening up system to more litigants (self-represented) provides even bigger payoff than increasing efficiency (also necessary) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

5. Additional Overview ThemesImplications of Innovation • Technology provides cost saving opportunities to identify and “treat” problems before they escalates and do most harm • Technology allows shaping of program for vulnerable populations (both direct services, and staffed) • Technology provides an opportunity for collaboration and innovation and creates relationships for expanding collaboration beyond the initial activity LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

6. Additional Overview ThemesLessons for Strategic Leadership • Incentives and grant maker discretion are critical in encouraging innovations • Technology acts as a model and incubator for broader innovation • Innovation is often less threatening when delivered through technology – technique is to find the technology expression of innovation and that will speed acceptance and replication) • Technology allows for support of strategic choices of LSC -- whatever they are LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

7. III. History and Status of Legal Aid Technology Innovation LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

8. A. History • Early Pilots • 1998 Summit and focuses • TIG as catalyst and engine • SJI role and partnerships LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

9. B. Overview of current deployment and collaborations LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

10. Montana Legal Services Association • Technology makes more things possible……….. • Only Statewide Provider of Civil Legal Services in Montana • Annual Budget $3.2 million • 15 attorneys for est. 90,000 low income residents • 145,000 + square miles • Clients Served in 2010: 4,809 • Total Program Reach in 2010: 119,665 • (includes advice and information, pro se assistance, direct representation by staff and pro bono attorneys, printed materials and web-based information) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

11. Integrated Service Delivery System • Website – Provides legal information and forms relevant to low income people • LiveHelp – Provides chat assistance for website and document assembly • Document Assembly – Automated forms make it easier for low income people to access court without counsel LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

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14. Proven Effectiveness • Website usage of MontanaLawHelp.org has more than doubled between 2003 and 2010 • More than 3,000 documents assembled with MT automated forms each year since inception • Evaluation of websites has shown that users are satisfied with their experience and the information accessed LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

15. Service Delivery • MLSA Helpline – centralized telephone intake and hotline supported by on-line application for services, web-based case management system and integrated document assembly • Self-Help Clinics – automated forms, plus video conferencing and web-based training modules LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

16. Service Delivery • Integrated Law Firm across State – web meetings, video conferencing, instant messaging, centralized documents • Pro Bono Program – MontanaProBono.net provides web-based forms and information. Also case management system provides centralized case tracking, and pro bono attorney integration LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

17. IV. Court Perspectives LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

18. Coordination with LSC • Statewide website coordination • Basic letters and simple forms on self-help website • Sharing templates with other states – custody agreements, jurisdiction decision trees • Joint funding for Orange County Legal Services – ICAN! LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

19. LawHelp Interactive work in Los Angeles • JusticeCorps students get basic information from litigants • Fill that information into forms using Hotdocs program • Prints out all forms needed for workshop, litigants fill in rest by hand in workshop after explanation • Information saved for next two sessions • More thorough and comprehensive than many attorneys pleadings LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

20. Have computers do what they’re good at • – repetitive data entry, calculations, • typing in forms, saving data, prompting and • answering simple questions • Use humans for what they’re good at • – asking and answering more complex questions, emotional support LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

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22. DASH program • Allows volunteers in 4 locations to assist 36 litigants each morning with domestic violence pleadings – all reviewed by an attorney • Now available for all DV shelters • Expanding to rural communities and tribal lands – can be reviewed by self-help or urban pro bono attorneys LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

23. Suggests Question for Volunteer and Prompts Volunteer to Contact Attorney. LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

24. Allows Attorney to Automatically Add Text To Declarations. • If a custody order is requested, the program automatically prints on the declaration: “I ask the Court for the custody and visitation orders described in the attached form DV-105 because: “. • (The volunteer is prompted to ask why the order is needed.) • If the volunteer indicates litigant needs an interpreter, the program automatically prints on the declaration: “I will need a [Spanish] interpreter for all proceedings in this case.” LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

25. Working to build e-filing component • Information could go directly into court computer system • Simplifies filing for litigants and clerks • Basic materials for orders after hearing then are in the system LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

26. New Grants • To expand DASH to civil harassment – provide training throughout the state – statewide meeting on best practices • To use model conservatorship program to provide remote support to rural areas – training, review of pleadings, etc. LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

27. V. Private Sector Perspectives • Relentless connectivity • 4G networks widely deployed by 2012 • Continued improvement in wired bandwidth as well • Cloud • Potential for tremendous cost savings • Privacy/security concerns • Virtualization • Makes which computer is being used irrelevant • Tablets and Smartphones • The computer of the future • Rich AV and Video telephony • Remember the Jetsons? The time has (almost) arrived • It will change the way we work LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

28. Discussion LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

29. VI. Some Options for Next Steps in Technology Innovation LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

30. A. Ultimate Approach and Court Partnering Options • Use technology to implement Board’s Strategy • Court Partnering Options LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

31. Statewide coordination • Equal Access fund – 10 million – 10% of funds to provide self help centers at court • Seed money – 5 years, built partnerships • AOC provides coordination with courts, systems changes, attorney/developer for LawHelp Interactive programs LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

32. Over time and with strong evaluations • Courts now provide over $24 million for court based self help support – every court has self help center supervised by attorney – help more than 450,000 each year • Now $27 million for legal services programs • Significant AOC support LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

33. Other Support • 2 statewide conferences each year for legal services and court based attorneys – one for family law, one general law and best practices • Ability to change rules of court, forms, procedural guidelines • Regular planning meetings LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

34. Ways to encourage development of coordinated delivery system • Requiring agencies to keep info up to date on Lawhelp • Incentive grants for joint planning with courts and legal services • Requiring links on home page for self help with hours of info, services, etc. • Requirements for referral lists, regular coordination meetings LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

35. B. Training and Expectations LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

36. Training • Technology provides opportunities for enhanced training resources for programs • Substantive Law Training • Technology Training • Programs can develop, collaborate and use web-based training modules (Colorado/Montana/Utah partnership) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

37. Raising Expectations • Continue funding for technology innovation through TIG grant program • Continue annual TIG Conference as platform for encouraging innovation in field programs • Evaluate programs on use of technology LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

38. C. Need for Data, Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Relationships LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

39. Need for Data, • Readily available data sources • Statewide Websites • LawHelp Interactive (Document Assembly) • Online Intake • LiveHelp • Common data tagging / usage tracking • National Subject Matter Codes (NSMI) • Location (State / County / Zip) • Language • Potential for National Aggregation / Analysis LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

40. Common National Standards LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

41. Public Access Partners • Strategic networking collaborations to expand public access to information and tools • Courts • Libraries • Veterans centers • DV shelters • Community technology centers • Healthcare • Value in identifying and sharing best practices nationally to support local work LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

42. Strategic Corporate Relationships • Complex to structure for mutual benefit • Need to be driven by strategic priorities • Corporation’s leadership role can be key • Examples LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

43. VII. Broader Innovation Thoughts • Opportunity for LSC as national access transformation leader leading to possible national ATJ Commission with national bipartisan agenda • Three prong overall strategy • Courts (self-help, forms, etc) • Bar (pro bono and market restructuring) • Legal aid efficiency and availability • Needs studies and research (triage and access maximization with delivery experiments) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

44. Broader Innovation Thoughts – Some Specifics • National tech-delivery structure options • Incentivizing program management innovation • Evidence driven service and staffing protocols • Competitive discretionary grants with sufficient time and resources • Mini-grants to take advantage of immediate research and collaboration opportunities • Administrative agency access to justice collaborations (not just tech) LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

45. Potential Summit on Next Generation Technology and Access • Why now? • Areas of focus • Broadband • Mobility • Data mining • Social media • Attendees for future collaboration • Board role for leadership LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

46. VIII Thoughts on General Strategic Choices • What kind of organization and overall strategic vision do you want? • What capacities and potential does technology provide that were not there before? • What partners are there, including for funding? • What changes will be permanent, create ongoing change, and provide most options for the future as you choose your overall strategy? • How does a Technology Agenda support and enhance those strategies? • What short term Technology Strategy will support whatever long term LSC strategic plan is developed? LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations

47. Discussion LSC Board Briefing: Technology and Innovations