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LiveHelp Launches in Montana and Iowa
by Pro Bono Net
Earlier this year, LawHelp.org web sites in Montana and Iowa launched LiveHelp, an interactive tool that allows users to engage in online chat sessions with remotely-located web site Specialists. Funded through a grant from the Legal Services Corporation, the new feature makes finding legal information and referrals faster and easier for LawHelp.org users. The Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), Iowa Legal Aid (ILA) and Pro Bono Net have partnered to develop and implement this innovative service.
“This new chat feature is an excellent tool for inexperienced Internet users or for people who are unsure about what legal information is most useful in their situation,” explains Kate Bladow, MLSA Technology Project Coordinator, who has overseen LiveHelp’s integration into MontanaLawHelp.org. “By giving users access to a live person, we’re making sure they get the most out of the web site. While we are unable to provide legal advice, we are able to direct people to materials and organizations that can assist them.”
Eve Ricaurte, ILA’s Pro Se Coordinator who oversees the Iowa LiveHelp project, notes that in rural states like Iowa and Montana, where the nearest legal aid office can be several hours away, LiveHelp is a tremendous vehicle for reaching people in need of legal services.
In Iowa, the program is supported by four ILA employees who respond to chat requests in addition to their regular, day-to-day duties. In Montana, a team of specially trained VISTA volunteers and law students staff the program. LiveHelp in each state is available during normal business hours, and users can email questions when the service is offline.
Use of LiveHelp is steadily growing. In October, Montana and Iowa handled just over 50 chat sessions combined. “We initially anticipated it would take longer for this many clients to be using it regularly,” says Ricaurte. Both states have begun marketing LiveHelp to social services agencies, community organizations and clients themselves. In anticipation of the project’s growth, plans are underway to expand staff capacity to handle an increasing number of LiveHelp chat requests.
Bladow and Ricaurte are planning an evaluation of the project, and plan to share their training and outreach materials to assist other states in successfully integrating LiveHelp on their statewide web sites. The project was recently awarded a Technology Innovation Grant from the Legal Services Corporation to expand LiveHelp services in 2007 to several new areas, including implementing LiveHelp on www.GeorgiaAdvocates.org to improve support for pro bono volunteers in rural Georgia, and use of the system to support pro se litigants using online document assembly tools to prepare family law petitions in Montana.
So far, user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “Ultimately, I think it is very reassuring for clients to have contact with a live person,” says Ricaurte. “One LiveHelp user recently told me ‘you’ve helped more than you know.’ That’s a great feeling.”
Click here to read LiveHelp transcripts from Montana and Iowa.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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