With funding from the Legal Services Corporation, (LSC), Pro Bono Net (PBN) and Ohio State Legal Services (OSLSA) offer online form developer training each year.  The next online training to learn how to create online forms powered by LHI is planned the Fall of 2022. The groups providing the training include Capstone Practice Systems, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), and PBN's LawHelp Interactive (LHI) staff. 

Course Schedule

• The training will begin on Wednesday September 28, 2022  and take place every Wednesday through November 16, 2022. The course will last 8 weeks. Sessions will start at 2pm  EST, be held over GoToWebinar, and will focus on reviewing homework assignments. The training is closed. It will be offered in 2023 tbd. Those interested can access the training online via this page. For more information reach out to cjohnson@probono.net

Course Overview

• This beginner's training covers how to use HotDocs and A2J Author to create basic online forms powered by LawHelp Interactive including the DAT feature of A2J Author.  Participants will be asked to view pre-recorded video lessons before each meeting, be given exercises to complete, and then invited to come to a class to discuss the homework and share what has learned from the lesson and ask questions. You will learn the core skills you need to create a simple form. We will use a divorce form as the example and for homework.
• This course will not teach you how to draft legal forms, how to plan projects, how to fund or evaluate projects. It is a technical training. If you want to learn more about those topics, please contact Claudia Johnson at cjohnson@probono.net or visit the project planning folders in the LHI Resource Center Library. 
• A sample training agenda from the beginner's 2018 online training series can be found here (requires password). 
• We will post the agenda and detailed information shortly. That information will include the lessons to watch before the class, the homework assignments and the information on what to prepare to discuss in each meeting. Students will be expected to lead the homework discussion during meeting days.
• You can watch the 2020 series if you want to see what to expect for the 2022 remote series. To complete the series on your own, you will need between 25-30 hours, with 4-6 hours on average per week including watching the training videos and doing the homework.  We recommend you join us for this session because it will be more updated than the 2021 or 2020 online series posted. The next training will be in 2023.

Who Can Attend the Training?

Courts and legal nonprofits and their partners can register for free and there are no limits on attendees. If your program wants to bring a team to do this as a cohort, we welcome you. Once groups complete the training they can explore subscribing to differet LHI Creator packages. Those interested should email Claudia Johnson at cjohnson@probono.net.  We offer different packages and would love to hear your vision for your project and work with you in identifying the right scope of plan and support services. .

 

Please fill out the form below if you want to reserve your seat.

Registration and Logistics

• The registration is now closed. Those who registered will be receiving a confirmation email and further instructions to get ready for the class. A group email to all registrants will go out on 10/26/2022
• After registration, you will receive an email from Pro Bono Net staff that confirms you are enrolled in the training. The email will contain important instructions on what you need to complete before the first class, including how to install the software that you will need to follow the class. We expect everyone to come with the necessary tools installed the first day of the class,  so please do not leave getting the software to the last minute. It will take a few days to do, and it might set you behind if you don't start right away.
• Registration will close 8 days before training to make sure everyone gets to install the software they need to participate in the course. Pro Bono Net will contact you via email to confirm your registration, usually 3 working days from when you submit it. Please don't leave getting the software you need to the last minute. To obtain the discounted software might take up to 7 or more days. So please start that process as soon as we register you, so you can install it and also do the homework before the class.  

Obtaining Forms Authoring Software to Participate

Once your registration is confirmed, you will need to do the following in this suggested order. The sooner you start the better.

1. Obtain a deeply discounted licence of  HotDocs (HD) Developer from the Abacus Next Corporation. They licence for the HotDocs Developer software (Version 11) and make sure you have it installed in the computer you will use to create your forms. To see if you qualify for a discount, please sign up here.  Please start this process as soon as you are registered in the training. It can 7 or more days to obtain the discounted licence.  https://www.hotdocs.com/lp/probono/
2. Register for A2J Author by signing up here. You will need this for the A2J Author lessons. You'll get an email with further instructions once you have been authenticated.
3. Enroll as a 'Developer' in LawHelp Interactive here. Sign up, choose 'Developer' as your account type, be sure you pick your organization, developer group, and state. If your organization is not listed in LHI, please email us and we will add it. 
4. Download a copy of the Montana Petition for Divorce from here. This is a document we will automate as a group during the training.
5. Download a copy of New York Consumer Debt Answer Form from here. This is a second document we will automate during the training.
6. Join the document assembly listservs and this LHI Resource Center to get connected with the LHI Developer community and additional resources. 

Questions?

We appreciate your interest in our training! For questions about the training, please contact Claudia Johnson, cjohnson@probono.net.

 

Last updated  November 17, 2022