Technology that Every Legal Aid Advocate Should Be Using Joshua Poje – American Bar Association Michelle Nicolet – Sargent Shriver Nat’l Center on Poverty Law Gwen Daniels – Illinois Legal Aid Online
Shriver Center Survey
Legal aid advocates’ use of online tools Survey conducted in March 2011 Survey completed by 272 advocates Even distribution in age ranges
Online resources used for research
Social media use
Use of mobile phones / tablet devices Majority read web content on mobile phone or tablet Over 18% use tablets Those who read content on these devices do so often
Surprising findings Heavy reliance on listservs for current awareness and networking with other advocates (81-97% of respondents) RSS used by only 28% of respondents Very limited use of social media, other than LinkedIn, for professional purposes
Technology trends Mobile Social Tablet/eReader
Illinois Legal Aid Advocates Technology Survey
Technology Adoption Most wait to adopt new technologies after they become common Most are fairly satisfied with technology tools in their legal practice
Technology Adoption Most agree that technology makes their practice more productive Most use web-based research tools, case management systems Most don’t use e-filing or automated document assembly
Training Preferences Fairly even divide among survey participants 1/3 prefer on-site training, 1/3 prefer webinars, 1/3 split between classroom and self-guided
What would be useful… ? Better document management systems Smartphones Remote access More and easier-to-use document assembly
Tips & Tools Websites, Apps and Add-ons
Seth Godin’s blog How to figure out if it pays to adopt a new technology: When you talk about it with your peers, do you say, "no one is using it..." or "no one is using it yet“? “Yet” implies inevitability.
The Federal Rules eBooks
LawStack (iPhone)
CamScanner
Genius Scan
DocScanner (iOS/Android)
Twitter Connect with other legal aid orgs, advocates Use lists to find people to follow
ing Large Files
Word Lens
SquareUp (iOS/Android)
Clearinghouse Review Bimonthly journal for and by legal aid advocates Available in print and online, via site license
The Shriver Brief Updated 2-3 times weekly State and federal policy Legal developments of interest to legal aid advocates
Race Equity Project Project of Legal Services of Northern California Part of a program-wide, race-conscious approach to advocacy E-Newsletter available
Virtual Training Center –
Evernote
Free Scheduling Websites
Google Reader Unclutter your inbox Subscribe to feeds for news, social media searches (Google Alerts)
Boomerang Firefox/Chrome plugin Works with Gmail Returns messages to your inbox at a specified time (hours, days, weeks, months) OR only if nobody responds
Firefox Add-on Library
Some Cool Add-Ons TinyURLGenerator Video DownLoadHelper WebmailNotifier
Cite GenieCite Genie – Firefox Add-on
Lifehacker Good source for tips and tricks Not just software Time management strategies
Document Assembly
What are YOU using?