Technology for Justice: Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) launches free online forms and library guides to help people clear life's legal hurdles.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) is releasing free online legal forms hosted by LawHelp Interactive. The national civil legal aid community uses LawHelp Interactive to host automated forms to help people clear life's legal hurdles. SLLS paired these new automated forms with information guides designed for public libraries.

The New York Times applauded LawHelp Interactive in "Legal Aid with a Digital Twist." These resources extend help online anytime, anywhere, to anyone. SLLS won federal funding for the project through the competitive Technology Initiative Grant program of the Legal Services Corporation.

SLLS created automated forms and guides to help people create basic forms for small claims court, modification of child support, provisional custody by mandate, and some expungements. Find these new resources here.

The forms and related resources are packaged into "LibGuides," a librarian-friendly format. Anyone can find the LibGuides and related forms on LouisianaLawHelp.org, a free legal information and resource site administered by SLLS in partnership with Pro Bono Net. Louisiana's site is part of the LawHelp.org network, which has won a Webby.

SLLS developed the automated forms with two innovative software programs: Access to Justice Author and HotDocs. Access to Justice Author creates an interactive interview to help users enter information for the online form. HotDocs meshes the user's answers into the form. The LawHelp Interactive site processes the form and delivers it to the user, who can print it, save it, or receive it by e-mail.
"SLLS's initiative uses smart applications of technology to open more doors for those without an attorney to achieve justice on their own. Public libraries are natural partners in raising awareness of these vital self-help tools," said Liz Keith, Program Director at Pro Bono Net. Pro Bono Net and its LawHelp Interactive site are key partners in SLLS' initiative to use libraries as a hub for connecting legal information with people who need it most.
"While it is preferable that all litigants be represented by an attorney, many litigants with limited means are unable to afford an attorney and are not able to obtain pro bono legal services," said Judge Lisa Woodruff-White, who chairs the Self-Represented Litigants Committee of the Louisiana District Judges Association. "Those challenges are even more pronounced in rural areas. That is why web-based programs such as automated documents and LibGuides are a vital resource for many litigants. Self-represented litigants seem to fare better and have a more positive view of the legal system if they have access to self-help resources versus those litigants without access to self-help resources," the judge added.

Another SLLS partner in this effort is the Legal Education & Assistance Program, also known as "LEAP." A project of the Access to Justice Program of the Louisiana State Bar Association, LEAP worked with SLLS during the development phase and will help spread the word about these online tools, especially among Louisiana libraries.

Using technology to improve access to justice is gaining traction in the U.S. and abroad. SLLS is on the cutting edge of Louisiana's technology-for-justice movement. With participation and input during a pilot project with the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, SLLS launched Louisiana's first automated uncontested divorce forms years ago. SLLS helped Louisiana become one of the first states to adopt a mobile format in English and in Spanish for LouisianaLawHelp.org, the free legal information site administered by SLLS and managed by Website Coordinator Lisa Stansky.

About Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS)
SLLS (slls.org) is Louisiana's largest provider of free civil legal aid. SLLS serves half of Louisiana's low-income people from six offices throughout southeast Louisiana. In many parts of our 22-parish service area SLLS is the only organization that can help. In 2015 SLLS aided more than 26,000 people, with a direct economic impact of more than $17.5 million.
About Pro Bono Net
Pro Bono Net is a nonprofit leader in developing innovative technology and forging collaborations to increase access to justice. Its programs, including www.probono.net, www.lawhelp.org and www.lawhelpinteractive.org, enable legal advocates to make a stronger impact, increase volunteer participation, and empower the public with resources and self-help tools to improve their lives. LawHelp Interactive makes implementing document assembly initiatives easier and less costly for legal aid organizations as well as pro bono and court-based access-to-justice programs. LawHelp Interactive is operated by Pro Bono Net in partnership with Ohio State Legal Services Association, with support from Legal Services Corporation's Technology Initiative Grants program, among other funders, as well as from the HotDocs Corporation.

Contact: Lisa Stansky, Esq.
Website Coordinator
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
E-mail: lstansky@slls.org
Tel.: (504) 274-0459