24 SEP 2021

10.00 – 12.00

(ICT)

Eighteen Months of Remote Legal Services – Best Practices and Silver Linings

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, legal service providers were in the process of expanding their ability to carry out work remotely. The presence of the pandemic has made the necessity of providing legal services remotely critical in addressing not only pre-existing legal demand but also the ever-growing demand of issues raised by the pandemic.

During the 2020 APBVC, DLA Piper lead a discussion on the provision, and expansion, of legal services in a remote setting, including an introduction to a guide to providing legal services remotely that DLA Piper, together with the Open Society Justice Initiative and Legal Empowerment Network, was drafting.

That guide, entitled “Providing legal services remotely: a guide to available technologies and best practices” has now been published (and is available here), including with input from participants in the 2020 APBVC as well as legal services providers from around the world. This session will introduce the completed guide as an available tool for conference participants in their work to effectively deliver services, expand their reach to new populations, and enhance access to justice. In addition, the session will highlight global examples of remote pro bono projects, developed or revised during the pandemic, that address previously unmet needs and that offer lessons on what practices we may continue even after in-person and traditional services are possible again. As presenters share their good work, they will also explore the ethical issues, such as licensing requirements and scope of engagement, that are raised by their remote work and project models. Finally, through tools such as chat, polls, word clouds, and possibly breakout rooms, we will engage the audience in a discussion about their pandemic “silver linings” – i.e., ways in which they have been able to pivot their work to address the critical legal needs of their communities during the pandemic and to expand their reach, and tools they will continue to employ in the wake of the crisis. In this way, panellists and participants will learn from each other’s “best practices” or “silver linings” and will be able to apply these lessons to improve their services during and beyond the current moment.

 

Presenters:

Suzanna Brickman | DLA Piper New Perimeter

Amanda Jancu | Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice

Annette Mbogoh | Legal Advice Center, Kituo Cha Sheria

Andrew Valentine | DLA Piper New Perimeter

Carmen McDonald | Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice

Lisa Dewey | DLA Piper New Perimeter

Lisa Frydman | KIND

Marlon Manuel | Namati and the Legal Empowerment Network

Nesha Balasubramanian | DLA Piper