Fiday, April 20, 10:45 a.m. – Noon C 1 Grand Ballroom A
Sara Galligan, Dakota County Law LibrarySara chairs the new AALL Special Committee on Pro Bono
Partnership. She will spotlight cooperative efforts between law librarians and the providers of pro bono legal assistance.
Lisa Rush, Travis County Law LibraryLisa will describe her library's experience of
collaborating with Texas Bar and legal aid community to create state-wide legal forms
Collaboration: Partnering to Provide Access to Justice
Friday, April 20, 10:45 a.m. – Noon C 1 Grand Ballroom A
Sara Galligan, Dakota County Law LibrarySara chairs the new AALL Special Committee on Pro Bono
Partnership. She will spotlight cooperative efforts between law librarians and the providers of pro bono legal assistance.
Lisa Rush, Travis County Law LibraryLisa will describe her library's experience of
collaborating with Texas Bar and legal aid community to create state-wide legal forms
OutlineSara Galligan• Challenges and Collaboration• Pro Bono Partnerships and Special Committee Findings
Lisa Rush• Collaboration Opportunities• Examples from Travis County
Sara Galligan• Examples from Minnesota • Resources• Lessons learned
The Challenge to Leadership in the Context of the Access Crisis
• An Overwhelmed System• A Near Dead End in Increase in Resources for
Legal Aid for the Poor• A Huge Middle Income Service Gap• Lawyers Without Adequate Salaries• Judges Feeling Unappreciated• Court Staff Feel Overwhelmed and Uncertain of
Role• Public Dissatisfaction
But: A Broader View of Mission
The Role of
Law Libraries and the SRL Revolution
Impacts on Law Libraries:
• Legal Information Resources
• Equipment/Technology
• Policies/Programs
• Education/Training
• Relationships/Partnerships
Discussion of Collaboration Issues
Issues:
• Access to Justice and the Courts
• Partnerships with Self Help/Legal Aid/ Website/Library and Pro Bono Resources
• Role of Law Libraries
Law Libraries & CourtsSimilarities• Shared clientele• Shared
limitations• Shared interests• Legal knowledge• Knowledge limits
Differences• Focus on issues• Knowledge• Time spent with
SRLS• Scope of
assistance• Service clientele
Law Libraries and Legal Aid
• What legal aid is looking for
• Successful websites
• Joint Funding possibilities
• Pro bono partnerships
Pro Bono Partnerships and Law Librarians
• Special AALL Committee
• Types of Libraries and Pro Bono/Survey
• National survey of partnering possibilities
• SRLN (Self Represented Litigation Network)
• Equal Justice Conference--Denver
Special Committee on Pro Bono Partnerships--Charge
Identify statewide or local projects and suggest ways for law librarians to partner.
Spotlight initiatives by law librarians in all types of libraries.
Recommend how AALL can be involved with the SRLN.
Recommend how the work of the committee can be continued.
Brief members.
Types of
Libraries
State, CourtCounty Self-Help Centers
Private Firm --Research support
Law School--pro bono initiatives
National Survey
• ABA Directory
• Legal Aid organizations
• Bar Associations
• Bar Foundations and others
• Findings
Self-Represented Litigants Network(SLRN)
You have been invited to attend the
California and National Conferences on Self
Represented Litigants, San Francisco,
May 14-18, 2007
Recommendations to AALL
Law librarians represented
Initial Members of the SRLN•American Judges Association
•American Judicature Society
•California Administrative Office of the Courts
•Harvard Law School Bellow Sacks Project on the Future of Access to Civil Justice
•Law School Consortium Project
•Legal Services Corporation
•Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts
•National Center for State Courts
•National Association for Court Management
•National Association of IOLTA Programs
•National Council of Juvenile and Family Courts
•State Justice Institute
The Working Groups of the SRLN
You have have been invited to attend the California and National Conferences on Self Represented Litigants, San Francisco, May 14-18, 2007
• Information, Marketing and Outreach Working Group
– Libraries Subgroup• Research and Evaluation Working Group
• Best Practices and Models of Excellence Group
• Problem Assessment/Triage Working Group
• Appropriate Relief Working Group
• Overall System Working Group
• Funding Working Group
How to leverage partnerships to increase access to justice
Welcome by Governor Ritter Closing speech by Paul Loeb
Denver:
• Delivery Innovations Programming
• Management and Diversity Programming
• Partners• Pro Bono
• Pro Bono – Law School
• Resource Development
• Substantive Programming
• Technology
EJC--Ideas for Law Librarians
• Pro Bono Partnerships• Courts• Access to Justice Commissions• Support for volunteer attorneys
• New Technologies and Resources• Hotlines, websites, document assembly• LEP• Webcasting• LiveHelp
Skills
What do librarians have to offer?
Knowledge
Compassion
Reputation
Outreach
Service Oriented
Creativity
Collaborate on your state websiteYour librarian skills are
needed! You know:• Indexing• Outreach• Information sources.• Web layout• Plain language• What is needed!.
Collaborate with your courts
With the support of your judges & court offices you can:
• Develop forms that are approved by your judges.
• Bring services for pro se to the courthouse.
• Replace lost patron base.
Travis County Law Library Self-Help Center
Collaborate with Legal Aid
How many people a day do you send to legal aid?
• Ask legal aid to office in the library.
• Be a helping conduit, not just a referral source.
Photo removed
National
Local
State
Your Law
Library
Public Libraries
State Law Library & other County law libraries
State Access to Justice
(SRLN) Self-Represented Litigants Network
State Bar Association
State legal aid programs
Law schools
Your Courts Legal Aid
Your LawHelp site
Some Potential Collaboration Partners
ABA
Special Committee on Pro Bono Partnerships
AJS, NCSC
Legal Services Corp.
National
Local
State
Sara
Lisa
Texas Access to Justice forms subcommittee subcommittee
(SRLN) Self-Represented Litigants Network
Texas Bar Association’s Texas Lawyers Care
Texas Rural Legal Aid Attorney in the library
Dakota public library program
TexasLawHelp.org
Examples from our libraries:
AALL: Special Committee on Pro Bono Partnerships
AJS conferences
Grant partnership: Texas Legal Services Corp.
Travis County District Judges committee on Pro Se
Minnesota State Law Library Self-Help Center Task Force
Gates Grant
Dakota County Family Courts Self-Help Program
National Conference on Self Help Litigation
Minnesota Examples
• Gates Grant Training—Libraries
• County Law Library Programs
• Law Library/Self-Help Center Report
http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/cllp.html
• Hennepin County/Call Center Project
Lessons Learned in Collaboration
• Each partner must find value in the partnership
• Mission and needs must dovetail
• Time is needed to build and shore up the relationship
• Funding sources vary but may work for all
• Training/dissemination of ideas across areas
• Organizational buy-in
• Recognition is important!
Highlighted Resources
• Selfhelpsupport.org -- on web
• Probono.net
• Findlegalhelp.org
• ABA Pro Bono Directory (www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/directory.html)