With funding from the LSC TIG program, OSLSA and Pro Bono Net offer in-person trainings on HotDocs for the LawHelp Interactive community twice a year. These trainings are free to participating legal aid programs and their court partners.

Next Training

The Fall 2013 live training for LHI will take place from Thursday to Friday, September 12-13, 2013 in Chicago, IL.Special thanks to Prof. Ron Staudt, Jessica Bolack Frank, and the CAJT team who are graciously hosting the training.

Description

This training will have a beginner track only. The training will be taught by Capstone Practice Systems and the Center for Access to Justice and Technology at Chicago-Kent. It will occur over two days and we will limit class size to 12 trainees for an optimal learning experience.

Registration
Registration is now open. Visit here to complete the registration form: http://www.probono.net/link.cfm?21316. Registration will close August 14, 2013, but we encourage you to register sooner as enrollment is first-come, first-served.

Logistics
Please do not make any travel arrangements until you get a registration confirmation email from Pro Bono Net staff. Participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and meal costs.

Training Location

This training will take place at Chicago-Kent College of law. Chicago-Kent is located downtown Chicago at 565 West Adams Street (at the corner of South Jefferson St.) in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, one block west of Union Station (Amtrak and Metra commuter trains) and one mile west of Lake Michigan.

The law school is a short walk from the Dirksen Federal Building, which houses the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and numerous federal agencies; the Daley Center, which houses the Illinois state courts; and LaSalle Street, the hub of law practice in Chicago. Also in close proximity is Michigan Avenue including the fabulous downtown shopping district, the "Magnificent Mile", Navy Pier and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Hotels
Training participants can stay at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro for a discounted room rate of $169/night (plus tax). You can take advantage of this discount by reserving your room using following link: http://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/chicago/chish/hoteldetail?groupCode=LAA or using discount code "LAA" when booking. A full list of area hotels is available at: http://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/prospective-students/jd-program-admissions/visit-campus/area-hotels. To be eligible for the hotel discount you need to make your reservation by 7/14/2013.

Transportation

Driving
From Expressways North of Chicago:
Follow I-90/94 east to the Washington Boulevard exit. Turn left and proceed east (toward downtown) three blocks to Clinton Street. Turn right (south) and continue one block to West Adams Street. Turn right. The law school will be the second building on your left.

From Expressways South or West of Chicago:
Follow either I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) or I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) to I-90/94 west. Exit at Washington Boulevard. Turn right and proceed east (toward downtown) three blocks to Clinton Street. Turn right (south) and continue one block to West Adams Street. Turn right. The law school will be the second building on your left.

Nearby parking in parking structures and lots is available for rates ranging from $8-$20+ per day. Typically to get a lower cost you must enter a lot before 7am.

Note: If driving to Chicago and staying in a hotel, we suggest parking once, perhaps at your hotel, and using public transportation to get around Chicago during your stay. Chicago Parking Map offers location and pricing information on parking structures around the city: http://www.chicagoparkingmap.com.

Air
Chicago has two major airports, both conveniently located about 20-30 minutes from downtown Chicago (depending on traffic).

Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (O'Hare), the second busiest airport in the world, is located 17 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Travel from O'Hare to downtown Chicago is easy. Take a cab for $30-$40 (including tip) or take the Blue Line of the El train for $2.25.

Chicago Midway Airport is located 10 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Travel from Midway to downtown Chicago is equally as easy. Take a cab for $30-$40 or take the Orange Line of the El train for $2.25.

Train
Amtrak
With the increasing cost of fuel, driving or flying into Chicago might not be the best choice. Amtrak offers many routes to Chicago at reasonable rates. Amtrak will get you to the heart of downtown at Union Station, just one block from the Chicago-Kent College of Law where the training will take place. For more information on Amtrak options visit http://www.amtrak.com. Enter destination Chicago - Union Station (CHI).

Rental Cars
Renting a car while in Chicago is not recommended due to heavy traffic and difficulty in parking. If arriving by plane or train, use the El train or taxis to get to your hotel and the training location.

Public Transportation
Chicago's public transportation offers excellent access to and from all parts of the city. The "El" or "L" is Chicago's elevated train system and the second longest rapid transit system in total track mileage in the U.S. The train circles around the downtown area known as "the loop" and extends north, south and west from there. The train lines are labeled with colors (red, blue, brown, green, orange, purple, pink, and yellow) with each color line goes to different parts of the city, but all eventually lead to the loop.

A single ride on the train costs $2.25. Cash and credit cards are not accepted by train terminals; only transit cards. Each train station is equipped with machines that accept cash and dispense transit cards. Load a transit card with enough cash to cover your entire time in Chicago or buy one ride at a time as needed. Multiple people can use one transit card; just insert the card into the terminal as each person passes through. There is no cost for the actual transit card; the dollar amount you load onto the card is the amount available for travel.

Chicago also offers an extensive bus system. The buses will take exact cash or a transit card. The cost of a single ride paying in cash is $2.25 and $2 if paying with a transit card.

For more information on the trains or buses, including rates and maps, visit http://www.transitchicago.com.

Agendas for trainees
A sample agenda for the beginners training is available here: http://www.probono.net/link.cfm?20719 .

Technical Requirements

Download HotDocs Developer 10.2 and A2J Author 4.0, so you can do the homework (see section below). You will need to bring a laptop with the A2J and HotDocs programs installed for the training.

Homework to Complete Before Training

HotDocs Tutorial: Go through at least the first 10 Lessons in Chapter 2 of the HotDocs 10.2 Developer Installation Guide and Tutorial available at: http://www.hotdocs.com/sites/default/files/hotdocs/documents/2010/HotDocs_Developer_10_Guide.pdf. These lessons can be done one at a time or in one sitting, and should take a couple of hours.

It is very important that you do your 'homework' for this class and that you register to LHI BEFORE the training, as well as to the lists.

Register as a Template Provider. (Choose "Proceed as a Template Provider." Enter and submit the appropriate information. You will receive an e-mail when you have been approved.)

• Download a copy of the Montana Petition for Divorce from here: http://www.probono.net/link.cfm?16756. This is the document we will create as a group.
• Download a copy of California Form FL-100 from here: http://www.probono.net/dasupport/library/item.457086-California_Form_Example. This is a second document we will create during the live training.
• Install A2J Author 4.0. Find the installation link here: http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/337
• HotDocs Licenses -- If your program needs to purchase a HotDocs Developer license from the HotDocs Corporation, please read this before purchasing a license: http://www.probono.net/dasupport/search/item.315785

Please download HotDocs Developer (license required) and A2J Author 4.0 installed, so you can do your homework before the training.

Questions?
Please email Mirenda Watkins at mwatkins@probono.net if you have any logistics questions (where, what, who?). She will be the Pro Bono Net staff attending the training. If you want to find out if you are registered, email Mirenda Watkins.

Last updated 5/16/013