Get Legal Help
Overview
Get Legal Help is ILAO’s tool for matching individuals to available legal representation and other human services. This includes:
Partner organizations who accept applications via our online triage and intake system (OTIS)
Other legal aid organizations who have completed a profile indiciating that they provide direct representation, mediation services, or other legal services
Bar referral services
Legal self-help centers
Other social services where appropriate
It also connects individuals to appropriate legal information and forms.
Guiding Principles
Get Legal Help was built and maintained with the following principles in mind:
Legal aid is not available for everyone in every location, for every legal problem. Get Legal Help exists to help users find available resources; that includes legal information and forms when appropriate.
Legal aid organizations want to say no less often and guiding potential applicants to legal information is a good option when the applicant’s case doesn’t fit priorities.
Maintaining accurate case acceptance and organizational information should be easy to maintain by outside partners and ILAO staff.
The process of determining what help is available should be transparent, easy, and provide a positive user experience.
Spanish language users should have the same experience with the system as English speakers/readers.
Get Legal Help should be available on the web and over text messaging.
Where appropriate, the system should support an ongoing relationship with individuals so that they can retrieve their past applications and referral matches.
Sufficient data should be collected to continually improve the referrals provided.