Building a Family Law Network Providing legal information to Albertans Southern Alberta Library Conference March 21, 2015 Marsha Guthrie Manager, Implementation & Partnerships Carole Aippersbach Staff Lawyer Katy Moore Information Specialist Osas Eweka-Smith Program/Web Content Coordinator
Who we are ● Non-profit society founded in 2012 ● Established to develop a website that will serve as the first point of access to legal information and services in Alberta ● Funded by the Alberta Law Foundation
Our purpose Create a website that brings together existing public legal information in Alberta under one virtual “roof”
Our purpose Create a website that brings together existing public legal information in Alberta under one virtual “roof” ● Staff started tackling family law in July 2014 ● Ensure information is reliable, current, and accessible ● Multiple points of entry: searching, browsing, and the “Guided Pathway” ● Avoid duplication
Legal information challenges Information overload
Legal information challenges Jurisdiction confusion
Legal information challenges Inaccessible “legalese”
Legal information challenges Putting the pieces together Information Information Information
Our goals #1. Reach the right audiences #2. Identify the gaps #3. Find the content #4. Design for success
#1: Reach the right audiences General public ● Average person does not think like a lawyer or a librarian—LegalAve has to work for them ● Information in bite-sized pieces: topics, laws, court levels ● Remember the “stress factor” of dealing with family law issues ● Technical requirements (mobile-friendly)
#1: Reach the right audiences Information & service providers ● Need to connect users with information & services ● Legal advice vs. Legal information - Guided Pathway
#2: Identify the gaps Disconnect between substantive law and the legal process ● “The Family Law Act says I could get partner support, but what form do I need?” Regional variation in the legal process ● Different forms, different services, different requirements ● Urban vs. rural reality
#2: Identify the gaps Myth-busting
#3: Find the content ● Gather family law resources and keep them organized ○ Spreadsheets! ○ Currently more than 2,200 family law resources identified ○ Resources from non-profit, government, and private sources ○ Information Specialist maintains resource list for URL updates and continued accessibility ● Lawyer-reviewed for accuracy, currency, and ease of use ● Focus on variety of formats: audio and video formats given priority for inclusion ● Want variety, but not information overload: quality is key
#4: Design for success ● “Best practices” in web design vs. innovation for a new tool vs. PLE ○ Heated discussions with our web developer! ● Different approaches to legal information ○ Multiple points of entry: searching, browsing, Guided Pathway ● DENSE information needs clean organization ○ All topics divided into four categories: Law, Process, Common Questions, and Myths ● Plain language content
Our collaborative approach 1. Locate the experts all across Alberta ● Public Legal Education & Information (PLEI) providers - librarians & non- profit organizations ● Legal services frontline workers - Court staff, legal clinics, Native Counselling Services ● Lawyers & judges 2. Admit we know nothing (or very little) ● Where are the gaps? What do you struggle with? What do you wish people knew before they came to you? ● Make the connections: Law, Process, Common Questions, Myths 3. Back to the experts ● Every page of the website subject to expert review ● Usability testing on-site at Family Justice Services and law libraries - general public and service providers ● Revise, revise, revise
Our social media approach Alberta Legal Information Society @ABLegalInfo 1. Brand awareness ● Name confusion with the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) ● Who we are and what we do 2. Project awareness (LegalAve) ● Inform/educate :: engage :: build excitement 3. New opportunities/partnerships ● Promote work by partners and organizations with similar goals ● Encourage collaboration
Our social media plan ● Goals and objectives ● Audiences - pre-launch vs. post-launch ● Content source ● Content by us ● Content by PLEI organizations, government departments, and social services organizations in Alberta ● Out-of-province content - organizations with similar goals: #PLEI, #FamilyLaw, #AccessToJustice ● Content map ● Challenges ● Evaluation ● Vision ● Social media platforms as connection hubs for three-way conversations Audiences - organizations vs. general public ●
Challenges with collaboration Common funding sources ● Collaboration - but some feel we are competing ● We are showcasing their work (providing the frame for the painting) ● Critical to be clear about how this will help them: get buy-in Incredibly busy experts ● Carefully plan out consultations ● Do not overload the most efficient (even though it’s tempting!) Need for in-person communication ● Alberta is huge, and travel time cuts into our content creation time ● But significant differences in outcome (worth the investment)
Lessons learned Involve stakeholders from the start ● Increase sense of ownership and pride in the project as it progresses -- buy-in from the start is easier than after the fact. ● Be open to suggestion for more stakeholders. Regularly update stakeholders ● Blog, newsletter, regular meetings -- showcase how their collaboration is shaping the project
Lessons learned Recognize knowledge experts ● Be careful about insinuating that their work is less important than ours -- we recognize they’re busy, and we’re funded to help address some of these issues! Meet face-to-face when possible ● The personal touch makes a huge difference in quality of information and support
Where are we now? ● LegalAve content is currently being reviewed by experts for an expected launch of family law website in October 2015 ● Fall 2015: Begin research, consultation, and planning for next area of law ● Continued usability testing pre- and post-launch
LegalAve demo
Collaborate with us! Have any Common Questions or Myths you want us to include on the site? Want to do some usability testing for us, or host a usability session at your library? info@AlbertaLegalInformationSociety.ca Remember to connect with us to stay up-to-date on how we’re doing! @ABLegalInfo Alberta Legal Information Society
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LegalAve demo
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