May 1999

Pro Bono Programs Go High-Tech

by Joyce Raby, WSBA Access to Justice Communications and Technology Specialist

A recent collaborative effort among the members of the Access to Justice (ATJ) Network has resulted in a significant improvement to the level of technology currently used by pro bono coordinators in Washington state. A case management program, Clients 2000 for Windows by John Kemp, was purchased with a special grant from the Legal Foundation of Washington (LFW). Robin Lester, Director of Community Legal Services of the King County Bar Association, commented, "Clients 2000 will save us all time and increase our efficiency. This translates into better client service with more time to address clients' needs and to further develop legal service programs."

The amount of time spent gathering the data necessary to generate reports required by funding agencies has been a significant drain on scarce program resources. Until now, quarterly and half-yearly reports were calculated manually, and then input to a word-processing document. Clients 2000, by contrast, provides online entry of client data from initial contact. The pre-defined reports included in the software make the necessary statistical reporting available in minutes.

"Last year, the King County Bar Association's Community Legal Service programs assisted over 7,000 clients," Lester said. "With Clients 2000 we are hoping to increase the number of clients we serve by at least 10 percent."

Columbia Legal Services and Northwest Justice Project are also in the process of converting to Clients 2000. By the end of 1999, all civil legal service providers in Washington state will be using a common case management system, making statewide statistical analysis possible for the first time. An additional benefit will be the eventual streamlining of the referral process, as each program will track and maintain identical client data.

The Microsoft Corporation also played a vital role in upgrading the level of technology used by civil legal service providers around the state. Donated software, valued at $158,000, was distributed at the Goldmark Luncheon. "Dozens of copies of software, including Windows98, NT Server, NT Workstation and Office Professional for Windows, were distributed to volunteer attorney programs," said Judge T.W. Small, incoming Chair of the Access to Justice Board.

Each pro bono program received a site license and training in the software during the Goldmark Luncheon and Workshop held February 22-24 in Seattle. Twenty-seven staff members from 19 programs attended the training.

LFW also sponsored two enrollments in a Clients 2000 training session given by John Kemp for the purpose of providing technical support to the coordinators. One enrollment was used by Caitlin Davis-Carlson, LFW grants administrator. The second was used by Linda Young, pro bono coordinator for the Thurston-Mason County Volunteer Legal Clinic. Joan Kleinberg of Northwest Justice Project also attended the training and will be acting as technical support to the pro bono programs.

The Washington State Bar Association supported the effort by sending me to a "Train the Trainer" class and by helping defray the training costs for Robin Lester. Robin and I attended a special training in Atlanta, enabling us to provide instruction to the pro bono coordinators during the two-and-a-half-day workshop.

"This is an excellent example of how collaborative efforts work," said Judge Small. "Every member of the ATJ Network contributed time, money and/or staff to make this project successful."

The ATJ Network is an umbrella organization established to ensure that quality legal assistance is delivered to Washington's low-income residents in a coordinated and cost-effective manner. Each member organization contributed to this project, effectively maximizing our scarce resources.

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