Innovations in Intake Ohio 2008 Cynthia Vaughn Statewide Technology Manager Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation

2 Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) Current Intake System Walk-in Hotline Web-based

3 Nearly 9,000 online applications in 2007 Web makes up approximately 30% of all intake traffic Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) Current Intake System (continued…)

4 LAWO’s A2J Intake TIG Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) submitted a $30,000 TIG application in 2007 in order to:  Provide the opportunity for all providers to “share” in the intellectual capital and investment made by Iowa and LSC;  Provide Ohio’s legal services providers with 24/7 online intake capabilities via a link through the LAWO website, as well as the Ohio Legal Services statewide website;  Provide people in need with the ability to contact legal aid at all hours of the day and night.

5 Ohio’s Replication of Iowa’s A2J Intake Template

6 The “Script”… The script from Iowa’s initiative was used as the “starting point” for the Ohio intake initiative. Modified as needed, with input from Legal Aid Line intake staff and LAWO attorneys. The script will be reviewed by all participating Ohio programs and will be edited based on the individual intake process for each program.

7 LAWO’s A2J Intake TIG User will complete the interview. The information gathered from the interview will be passed to Legal Aid Line’s Pika case management system by utilizing a custom-written piece of code called a “transform” that converts the.anx file to a.php file.* The generated data file is then “held” in a Pika staging table for review by intake staff, then it is transferred to the appropriate office. Transforms are, and should be, customizable by program based on elements (variables) in Pika, and are based on LSXML principles. *Transform written by John Mayer, Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction

8 LAWO’s A2J Intake TIG (continued…) Intake staff can then review the case before it is accepted into the program’s Pika case management system by utilizing a piece of code developed by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation (Ty Acker).  Checks for conflicts and confidentiality issues.  Follows the same intake process as the Hotline.

A2J Guided Interview for Intake (.a2j files) Case Management System Data Collection Interview Answers (.anx File) XSL Transform Transformed Answer Files Case Management System Answer File Data Now Available For Review in the Case Management System…. ….conflicts check ….attorney review ….processing

Ohio Web Intake

11 Advantage of A2J Intake Time Savings It is estimated that once fully implemented, the A2J Intake tool will save the client information gathering step; thus, shortening the intake process by minutes, per client. A2J Intake will be available 24/7, which provides potential clients with a way to contact legal services outside of regular business hours; thus, potentially reducing the amount of call traffic (and waits on hold).

12 Access through Ohio Legal Services Statewide Website Link for LAWO (and other participating providers) will be available under the “Find Ohio Legal Help” directory section of the Ohio Legal Services website. Click here to complete the online intake application

13 Project Management Best practices in project management will be applied to all stages and phases of the Ohio A2J Intake project. Actively using:  Microsoft Project  Issue Tracker (Kaivo tool)  GoToMeeting / GoToWebinar  Other: Poverty Law Survey Tool

LAWO A2J Intake Project Plan

LAWO A2J Intake Project Plan (continued…)

16 Resources Involved in the Ohio LAWO A2J Intake Project Ed Marks, Litigation Director, Legal Aid of Western Ohio Debra Jennings, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Line of Western Ohio LAWO staff and Statewide Intake Staff Cynthia Vaughn, Ty Acker, Jeffrey Fortkamp, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation Rachel Medina, Chicago-Kent College of Law John Mayer, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction Will Shryock, Network Administrator, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) Teresa Green, Technology Support, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) Eve Ricaurte, Iowa Legal Services Steve Gray, Michigan Legal Services

17 Questions? Contact Information: Cynthia Vaughn Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation Phone: (614)