LSC is awarding 31 Technology Initiative Grants, as well as a handful of Sustainability, Enhancement and Adoption Grants, and awards for Technology Improvement Projects.
Ron Flagg, LSC's president, told Law360 Pulse in an interview Tuesday that the SEA and TIP grants were all part of the same program. SEA Grants and TIP Funds can almost be thought of as "a lifetime continuum of" programs that receive TIG money, helping to sustain programs that have already had success.
"It's really to provide consulting services to assess where programs are technology-wise both in terms of substance and programming, security, business process improvement," Flagg said. "And really to identify where they can improve."
Some of this year's grant recipients include Bay Area Legal Services, a Florida-based group that will use its $405,346 SEA Grant award to expand its FosterPower program — which provides foster youth with information about their rights and benefits, according to the firm's release.
The funds will be used to expand the reach of its website and app, as well as hiring a training and outreach specialist.
"All of the SEA Grants … were originally TIG project grants, which have been particularly successful for where additional funding for additional years would produce particular value," Flagg said.
Other grant recipients, like the Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center, will use funds in partnership with groups like Upsolve, to launch a Debt Relief Prediction Tool to help clients examine debt relief options with the help of artificial intelligence.
The grants are part of the organization's comprehensive outlook at addressing the local community's legal needs, Flagg said. The grants help organizations bridge the justice gap, and Flagg noted that over 90% of peoples' legal problems receive inadequate or no legal assistance.
"Our grantees are turning away half of the eligible applicants who come to their door," Flagg said. "And so we know the human resources that are employed by our grantees are insufficient to meet the demand, that's sort of the environment in which they operate."
Flagg added, "They need to come up with ways of leveraging their scarce human resources, and one of the ways to do that is with technology."
Self-help tools are also a way organizations are using funds to better serve their members. Organizations were looking to build on tools like online questionnaires to assist customers with their needs.
"Not every person at the end of the day can get a lawyer or another advocate from a legal aid program, or, maybe won't even need them," Flagg said. "It could be that a self-help tool that will generate a form may be sufficient."
Flagg pointed to the Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center as an example of how the LSC's grantee organizations were using technology to become more efficient.
People use that tool to submit information about their specific debt situation, which in turn generates forms to help mitigate those burdens, or information about how to connect with a legal aid provider, Flagg said.
"Long before AI, we had grantees all over the country but particularly in rural areas, hundreds of miles away from clients and potential clients," Flagg said. "Now, how do we communicate effectively with people who can't realistically come into an office?"
He added, "The technology program goes back 25 years, and for most of that period there's been projects that have enhanced the ability of our programs to communicate effectively with people remotely."
LSC has awarded more than $91 million between 923 grants since the program's inception. Organizations have used those funds to make their online tools more mobile-friendly, enhance their online resources for self-represented litigants and more.
For example, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, an Illinois-based legal aid group, will use some $197,940 to expand its TIG22-IL Easy Forms project, which helps underserved communities access critical legal documents.
The funds will be used to enhance the program's ease of access for mobile users, and will help integrate SMS functionality to its Docassemble platform, according to LSC's release.
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement that the grants recognize two Illinois organizations — the other being the Legal Aid of Chicago — that are "working tirelessly to bridge the civil justice gap."
"This funding paves the way for innovative technology solutions that address persistent challenges in our legal system, ensuring that the civil justice system is accessible to all in Illinois," Durbin said in the statement.
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said in a statement that he'd continue advocating for resources for the Legal Aid's efforts, like Technology Initiative Grants, while serving on the Appropriations Committee.
"We must ensure every American has access to a fair justice system, regardless of income or background, and Legal Aid of West Virginia is an absolutely invaluable organization in this mission," Manchin said in a statement. "I'm pleased they are receiving this well-deserved funding to support technology innovation and modernization to better help low-income West Virginians navigate the legal system."
--Editing by Dave Trumbore.
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