Equal Justice and the Digital Revolution: Using Technology to Meet the Legal Needs of Low-Income People

This report describes the activities of nonprofit organizations providing free civil legal help to low-income Americans. From 1997 to 2001, the Project for the Future of Equal Justice, a joint effort of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the Center for Law and Social Policy,was involved in activities aimed at helping legal services programs improve their use of new technologies. Activities included launching a website, providing training and education, modeling the use of innovative technology, disseminating information about best practices, supporting increased funding for technology, and bringing together advisory groups to collaborate.This project generated 8 recommendations to help the legal services community improve its use of technology to provide equal justice for all:1) Broaden the funding base for technology-related work, 2) Address substantive issues at the intersection of technology policy and low-income communities, 3) Provide community legal education and assist pro se litigants, 4) Create a culture of information sharing, 5) Develop better and more integrated technologies and applications, 6) Make a higher commitment to technology on an organizational level, 7) Evaluate the use of new technologies, and 8) Work collaboratively to plan, execute, and support technology-based work.