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)