tools for helping people find good legal information · social media and google adwords 32 •...

Tools for helping people find

good legal information

A presentation for community workers in Ontario

Michelle Cader and Fara Wali

June 21, 2018

After this webinar, you will be able to: • Describe CLEO’s work

• Identify indicators of reliability for reliable legal

information

• Identify specific sources of reliable online legal

information

• Describe the difference between legal information and

legal advice

• Easily navigate the Steps to Justice website to find legal

information

What does CLEO do?

1. Produces and disseminates information to help people with legal problems

• focuses on key topics of concern to people in low-income and marginalized communities -- covers 10 areas of law

• produces over 70 pamphlets and fact sheets (English & French, some in other languages) that can be ordered free of charge

• produces online information that that can be navigated by those with digital access and skills

What does CLEO do?

2. Conducts capacity-building projects and research

• Carries out projects and research that support the legal information work of other community and legal organizations

What are CLEO’s hallmarks?

Known for producing legal information that is:

• legally accurate and up-to-date

• easy to understand

• practical and reflective of people’s real-world circumstances

• developed in collaboration (with legal clinics and other community and legal partners)

CLEO homepage

Legal

topics

Online

ordering (free

publications

and free

shipping)

?

? ?

? ?

What are indicators of reliable information?

What are indicators of reliable information?

Is it from a trustworthy source?

Is it complete and unbiased?

Does it apply to my location?

Is it up to date?

Tipsheet

Specific sources of reliable online legal information

cleo.on.ca

stepstojustice.ca

cliquezjustice.ca

attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca

settlement.org

Tipsheet

Legal information and legal advice

Legal information can help people:

• realize they have a “legal” problem

• understand the problem better

• understand their rights and responsibilities relating to

the problem

• take steps, depending on their personal resources

and circumstances

• find out where to get legal help

Legal advice:

• is an opinion based on facts and law about how a

person should deal with a specific legal problem

• given only by a licensed legal professional (lawyer or

paralegal)

• is always confidential

You can feel comfortable:

• showing someone reliable legal information or telling

them where to find it on their own

• helping someone understand the legal information,

as long as you don’t suggest you know what steps

the person should take or what to expect as an

outcome

“You are right that your boss

discriminated against you. You

should make a claim against

him to the Ontario Human

Rights Tribunal and they will

help you get your job back.”

“Here is some information that

explains discrimination at work and

who is covered by the Ontario

Human Rights Code. It also

explains when and how to make a

claim at the Ontario Human Rights

Tribunal and suggests where you

can go to get more legal help with

this problem.”

Tips on what to say - example

Don’t say Instead say

Your client says: My boss fired me when he found

out I was pregnant. That’s discrimination. What can I

do to get my job back?

Tipsheet

Steps to Justice

26

Steps to Justice overview

• Gives step-by-step information on common

legal problems

• Links to forms, checklists, self-help guides,

dynamic glossary of terms

• Integrates referral information

• Offers daily live chat

• Allows for content to be embedded on other

websites

27

Just another website … what’s

different

• Represents a collaborative initiative of Ontario

justice sector partners who are partnering from

development to dissemination

• Builds a collaborative brand of reliability that is

easily recognizable

• Offers various embed options so that content can

live on multiple websites

• Goes beyond “digital”: trains front-line workers to

help those without digital literacy/ access

Steps to Justice partners

• Content “lives” on your site

• Automatically updated, delivered via

API

• The “brand”:

• Flexible options: content, size, colour

• Available to government and NGO’s

Embedding or syndication

30

Where we are

31

• Over 525 question and answer sets –

and continuing to update and add

• Outreach to community workers:

training, bookmarks, posters

• French version launching soon!

Social Media and Google Adwords

32

• 5,000 Twitter followers

@CLEOLegalRights

• 23,700 “Likes” of the

CLEOLegalRights Facebook

page

Extensive use of Google Adwords through the Google Grants Program for Non-Profits

How do you fit in?

Use www.stepstojustice.ca with your clients

Share Steps to Justice with your colleagues and email

lists

Consider embedding if your department has a website

Order posters and bookmarks from cleo.on.ca

Site Tour

keyword or question

search

keyword or question

search

autocomplete

legal topic search legal topic search

Natural language

search

Sub-topics Sub-topics

Scroll

through

to see

other

topics

and sub-

topics

yellow

bubbles -

glossary

terms

blue underline –

links to helpful

resources

referrals

related

questions

additional

resources

live chat

Case Scenarios

Let’s find legal information together

Scenario #1:

Renee got hurt at work slipping on water. Her

boss told her she could take a few weeks off with

sick leave. He told her she didn’t need to file a

claim for workers’ compensation because the sick

pay would cover her time off. She’s wondering

what to do.

Scenario #2

Mustafa has been getting social assistance (Ontario

Works) for a year. For the last few months, his friend

Miriam moved in because she lost her job and

couldn’t pay her own rent. When Miriam was there,

Mustafa got a letter from the government saying that

he had an overpayment from Ontario Works since he

now had a roommate. But Miriam is not contributing

to the rent at all. He doesn’t know what to do.

Scenario #3

Sari’s boss told her that she needed to work

on Good Friday. He said that because she

didn’t celebrate Easter and business is bad,

he doesn’t have to pay her any extra for

working on this holiday. This doesn’t seem

fair to Sari.

Thank you and we hope to hear from you!

Michelle Cader Fara Wali

Community Outreach Manager Steps to Justice,

Lead and Legal Content Developer

michelle.cader@cleo.on.ca fara.wali@cleo.on.ca