Technology Collaboration and Innovation in Minnesota

Midwest Project Directors’ Annual Meeting Minneapolis, MN May 9, 2008

Communication and Coordination Between Attorneys/Advocates

Legal Meetings – Overview  Online meeting project started by LSNTAP  Online GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar systems available to legal services programs at a discounted group rate:  $10 to $32/month for LSC grantees  $40/month for non-LSC grantees  $100 for those not so fortunate

Legal Meetings – Uses in MN  Software training  Technical support  Statewide website contribution  CLEs  Website stakeholder meetings  Taskforce meetings

Legal Meetings - Advantages  Major costs savings vs. travel  Ability to meet more often and on demand  Strengthen the statewide nature of our justice community

Legal Meetings – More Info  Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project  http://lsntap.org/aboutlegalmeetings  Citrix GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/

ProJusticeMN.org - Overview  Provides a legal resource library for legal services and pro bono attorneys  Calendar of CLEs and poverty law events  News items of interest to the justice community  Redesigned following Minnesota usability testing December 2007

ProJusticeMN.org - Highlights  Recently updated Eviction Defense materials  Example of popular, comprehensive content  Benefits Restoration Resources  Nationally-relevant resources, result of legal services/law student collaboration  New Immigration and Family Law Practice Areas

ProJusticeMN.org – More Info      Homepage  www.projusticemn.org

Eviction Defense Materials  http://www.projusticemn.org/civillaw/library/folder.34376

Benefits Restoration Folder  http://www.projusticemn.org/benefitsrestoration Family Law Practice Area  http://www.projusticemn.org/familylaw/ Immigration Law Practice Area  http://www.projusticemn.org/immigration/

Online Client Education

LawHelpMN.org - Overview  A free website for low-income Minnesotans with civil legal needs  18 topics of interest to low-income community, organized by popularity  Features:   Legal information resources (fact sheets, booklets, videos, other helpful resources) Free legal assistance contacts   Walk-in clinic calendars Court and self-help information

LawHelpMN.org – Assisting Users  Other justice community agencies  Video tutorial  FAQs  Coming soon - LiveHelp

What is

LiveHelp

?

  An instant message or “chat” tool that allows LawHelp users to ask for help finding legal information online (navigational assistance).

Help is provided by someone familiar with the website who can:  immediately provide the requested information, or   search for it and provide a link, or navigate the site with the visitor.

What is

LiveHelp

Not?

 LiveHelp is not an advice system:  Users are not allowed to ask for legal advice.

 Website specialists are not allowed to provide legal advice.

Why

LiveHelp

?

 Different levels of Internet literacy.

 Complexity of legal topics.

 Will help determine topics with gaps in coverage and other needs for the site.

  Users have requested it.

Most users who don’t find what they need are looking for something we have…

LawHelp survey-takers who did not find what they were looking for.

Do we actually have this information?

possibly 5% (4) no 36% (27) yes no possibly yes 59% (45)

What Does

LiveHelp

Look Like?

 Five states have implemented LiveHelp:  Iowa  Louisiana  Montana  Arkansas  Georgia (on its advocate website)

Louisiana Step 1: LawHelp Homepage

Louisiana Step 2: The Chat Box

Iowa Step 2: The Chat Box

LiveHelp

– Site Specialist View  Canned Chats:

Non-English Resources on LawHelpMN.org

Summary of Non-English Resources on LawHelpMN.org

 Current Resources  Translated Fact Sheets  Spanish Mirror Website (LawHelpMN.org/espanol)  Somali Housing Rights Video  Planned Resources   Hmong Property Law Video Hmong and Somali Audio “Fact Sheets”  Somali Legal Resource Homepage

Somali Housing Rights Video  Can be found using the methods above OR  Go to http://www.lawhelpmn.org/link.cfm?2110

(Somali) http://www.lawhelpmn.org/link.cfm?2109

(English voiceover)

Non-Legal Resources  Twin Cities Beehive is a project of the United Way and others  MinnesotaHelp.info

is a project of the Minnesota Board on Aging

Hmong Property Law Video  Video would be similar to Somali housing rights video  Intent would be to improve understanding of basic property law concepts by low-income Hmong speakers  Misunderstandings about American property law concepts often lead to public benefits penalties and/or ineligibility   Need identified by SMRLS staff In the process of fundraising for this project

Hmong and Somali Audio Fact Sheets  Plan is to create audio versions of fact sheets already translated into Hmong and Somali and to post them on LawHelpMN.org

 We have the technical/recording capacity and several fact sheets  Looking for volunteer readers who speak Hmong or Somali

Somali Legal Resource Homepage     Plan is to create a simple Somali webpage that will serve as an access point to Somali legal resources Links will be provided to Somali resources on LawHelp and elsewhere and contact information for legal services programs with Somali intake Website will have a unique URL that will be used to promote its use Fundraising is underway

Another Online Resource for Low Income Minnesotans  Minnesota Judicial Branch’s Online Self-Help Center  www.mncourts.gov/selfhelp

The Next Generation   Document Assembly  Included in LSC technology baselines Online Advice (Internet Hotlines)  Legal Services of Northern Michigan’s “Internet Representation Project”  www.lsnmirp.org

 Online Intake  The Midwest is leading the movement:  North Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio (and Maine) have online intake systems in place or in process

Questions?

John Freeman, Staff Attorney / Website Coordinator Minnesota Legal Services Coalition  2324 University Ave W, Ste 101B St. Paul, MN 55114    (651) 228-9105 ext. 105 (651) 222-0745 [email protected]