The Legal Service Corporation's Equal Justice Magazine has a great article about LawHelp.org, a pro se website template that can be customized to meet state and local laws requirements. It lets users click on a button to get help from live volunteers. The purpose is to fill in the gaps left by providing only forms. An example from the article illustrates its purpose:
In March 2003, Barb from Truro, Iowa, lost her husband. The house and car were in both of their names. Barb had her husband’s will but did not know how to transfer the possessions to her name. So she logged onto IowaLegalAid.org and found information about how to fill out an “affidavit of surviving spouse.” However, she had no idea what to do with it until she called legal services and was told how to file the documents at her local courthouse. According to Charlie Leist, technology coordinator of Iowa Legal Aid, many users get to the point where they have found the form they need, such as a transfer of power of attorney, but don’t know how to fill it out or what to do with it once it’s completed. “Especially with older adults, sometimes verbal encouragement is what makes legal information truly useful,” he says.A Mike Hertz initiative, the project received a $170,000 LSC grant for two pilot implementations. Thanks to Monica Bay's Common Scold for the pointer.