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| Bar Bulletin |
March,
2003 |
| Pro Bono Profile |
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Hi-Tech Help
By Lisa Muscara
As the Internet has
evolved, public interest advocates have heralded its potential to increase
and equalize access to knowledge. The Web provides an incomparable ability
to reach otherwise inaccessible segments of the population and it is
clearly one of the most powerful tools for distributing information. One
innovative project is working to develop the tools to harness this power
on behalf of low and moderate-income Marylanders. Created by a three-year
grant from the Open Society Institute to the Maryland Legal Services
Corporation, the Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) works with
Maryland’s legal services community providers and private attorneys across
the state to reach the public through the Peoples Law Library - a single
“portal” to Maryland legal and self-help information found at
www.peoples-law.org.
Working on
developing the Peoples Law Library (PLL) website is one way that private
attorneys interested in giving back to the community may offer pro bono
help, working with MLAN staff on discrete projects on a wide range of
topics. For example, Connie Kratovil Lavelle is currently working on a
supplement to the existing PLL section on “virtual visitation”. “It’s a
great way to help people and to fit it into your schedule,” she says.
“MLAN staff gave me a lot of support and resources to guide my efforts.
And I did not need to know anything about website publishing!”
The Peoples Law
Library represents a collaborative effort (managed by MLAN) of Maryland’s
non-profit legal services providers, and it is one of the most extensive
legal services “portal” sites in the country. Throughout the site, great
efforts are taken to present materials in a very straightforward,
step-by-step manner, helping visitors understand what to expect, and how
to handle a variety of common civil legal situations. PLL also clearly
asserts that “This website is not a source for legal advice by e-mail or
an advertisement for individual attorneys or any attorney networks”. The
Peoples Law Library is successfully demonstrating that information
technology is a powerful vehicle for maximizing the delivery of legal
services. During the last week over 4,000 visitors came to the site. PLL
covers a wide range of civil legal topics, including family law,
bankruptcy, consumer law, domestic violence, elder law and
landlord/tenant, and it provides resource referrals for people seeking
assistance with criminal cases. In addition, there are over 18 outreach
sites located in public libraries, courthouses, a senior center and other
community agencies around the state.
What distinguishes
this site is its effort to truly integrate legal self-help resources of
the courts, referral resources of the private bar and “how-to” legal help
from the public interest community. The website has been a leader in
creating the concept of an online set of “diagnostic tools” for pro se
litigants. MLAN Director Ayn Crawley notes, “Our goal is to develop a
user-friendly web-based set of tools to help the public (1) gain a quick
overview of the issues and types of relief (2) analyze the basic
facts of their case to spot the issues where attorney help is critical and
(3) offer information (where appropriate) on the practical nuts and bolts
of self-representation. The tools are not considered a substitute for
attorney representation, rather a triage tool to help those who are
considering going pro se. The tools are designed to help people
realistically assess their cases and find the help that they need.
“
PLL is yet another
example of the tremendous variety of opportunities to provide pro bono
services. Blend your interests in legal services and technology and help
provide pro bono legal information for citizens across the state through
the Peoples Law Library. MLAN is always seeking attorneys interested in
developing and reviewing content for PLL. Interested attorneys who want to
work on materials for the Library are welcomed to contact MLAN at
acrawley@mdjustice.org.
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