Indiana Legal Services Receives $25,000 Technology Grant from the Legal Services Corporation
WASHINGTON – The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced today that Indiana Legal Services will receive a $25,000 Technology Initiative Grant to enhance online resources for individuals seeking civil legal assistance. Established in 2000, LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants program supports legal aid organizations in developing and replicating technologies that improve efficiency and provide greater access to high-quality legal assistance.
“LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants increase access to justice for low-income people with critical civil legal needs,” said LSC President Jim Sandman. “These technology projects improve the delivery of legal services and make a difference to the millions of Americans who would otherwise have to navigate the legal system alone.”
Indiana Legal Services will use the grant to create a roadmap for an improved statewide legal information website, including enhancing client referrals, offering self-help forms, and providing access to a broad range of legal guidance. This project will also explore how legal aid organizations in Indiana would benefit from more sophisticated triage tools for handling client intake.
Members of the Indiana congressional delegation applauded the grant:
Senator Joe Donnelly: “I’m pleased that Indiana Legal Services was awarded this grant, which will help make the organization and its tools more accessible to a wider audience of Hoosiers. Seniors, veterans, and those in rural communities are among the tens of thousands of Hoosiers who utilize Indiana Legal Services for critical legal assistance and representation.”
Representative Susan Brooks: “As co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Access to Civil Legal Services Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, members of our Caucus have requested increased funding levels for the Legal Services Corporation so it can support groups like Indiana Legal Services and the clients they serve. I’m proud Indiana Legal Services has been granted this funding to improve their technology resources so they can better support Hoosiers who need legal representation but do not have the means to hire lawyers. Creating a website where Hoosiers can easily access legal information and updating the referral form system will help Indiana Legal Services better manage their significant case load and the needs of each client.”
Indiana Legal Services is one of 24 recipients of 2018 Technology Initiative Grant funding totaling nearly $4 million.