Ready, Willing and Able to Surf? -- Legal Aid Association Uses Web to Reach Public-Interest Attorneys -- Internet Helps Reach Public-Interest Lawyers

Daily Journal - Dec 30, 2005

By Amy K. Spees
Daily Journal Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Whether lawyers are looking to volunteer with senior citizens in Contra Costa County or with people with HIV in Los Angeles, a Web site recently created by the Legal Aid Association of California links attorneys with myriad volunteer programs statewide.

The San Francisco-based Legal Aid Association, an advocacy group for public-interest providers, launched California Legal Advocates at www.CALegalAdvocates.org in June.

The site lets the organization's 90 member programs advertise training dates and volunteer opportunities, which users can search by location, topic or population served.

Feedback for California Legal Advocates so far has been positive, said Julia Wilson, director of the Legal Aid Association.

"The training calendar was very rich, very early on," Wilson said.

Public-interest organizations can self-post times, dates and locations of trainings, which are then e-mailed to the Web site's subscribers via a monthly listserv.

"Every time the e-calendar goes out, someone says, 'Wow, this is really great. I didn't know there was this training happening in my backyard,'" Wilson said.

Tiela Chalmers, managing attorney with the Volunteer Legal Services Program through the Bar Association of San Francisco, said the Legal Aid Association's Web site is a great way for public-interest lawyers to share resources, including sample pleadings.

Chalmers said she hasn't tracked lawyer responses to California Legal Advocates in particular but that "online" is a frequent answer when lawyers say how they've learned about the Volunteer Legal Services Program.

"In general, the Web is a really important way for finding opportunities," Chalmers said. "It's a great way we find people initially."

Daniel Grunfeld, president of Public Counsel in Los Angeles, said the organization has yet to see increased volunteering through its relationship with California Legal Advocates, but he is certain the Web site will draw interest.

"We track these things fairly carefully, and we are hopeful and confident that over time it will have an effect," Grunfeld said. "Things take a while to work their tentacles throughout the community."

The Web-based technology is an easy way for lawyers to access high-quality materials from their desks or at home, but the site's goals are to reach even farther, Wilson said.

In 2006, Wilson said, the site will provide a pro bono resources library - a database of public-interest organization training manuals.

"If an organization gets a lawyer that really wants to start doing guardianships, they can say, 'Go to the pro bono library, download our manual, read it through, come to a training and we'll send you a case,'" Wilson said. "The site relieves overburdened legal services programs of something they don't have the technology to do or the staff."

Wilson said he also wants to create a webcasting system that is being piloted in Illinois and Georgia. For roughly $200, legal aid providers can purchase Web cams and film their trainings. The association's Web site will then upload the videos and archive them by chapter, Wilson said.

"Lawyers can watch the videos at their convenience and from their offices before they take a case or in the middle. If they don't remember something from training and need a refresher, they can just watch that portion of the training again," Wilson said. "It's a way to really leverage the resources of the legal services community to provide support to their advocates."

Wilson said she hopes to have the webcasts available by the end of 2006.

Grunfeld said he wasn't aware of the association's plans for webcasting or the library, but the more information available about public interest service, the better, he said.

"I think that this Web site is part of a much bigger effort by the public-interest community," Grunfeld said. "It's critical to ... educate people about the role that public-interest organizations have in securing justice and getting together the people who are in a position to help with the people who need the help."

The Web site is a sister to the Public Interest Clearinghouse's www.LawHelpCA.org. That site was created in 2004 for low-income Californians looking for legal resources and referrals. California Legal Advocates uses a probono.net template, which Wilson said is a recognized national public-interest Web site.

Cooley Godward and DLA, Piper Rudnick, Gray Cary have pledged financial support to California Legal Advocates. Other funding comes, in part, from Legal Aid Association dues.