Post by Patrick Torsney on Dec 2, 2010 11:35:51 GMT
MyLegal is
MyLegal is an online forum very similar to ilegal, however it is dedicated to the general public, not legal advisors. I've set it up so that it works in a similar way to this online platform. Like ilegal, it is entirely free to use
This is pretty much a 'non-fanfare launch' of MyLegal, just to get it off the ground and to give everyone the opportunity to engage with it before we try to attract wider public and media interest
Here is the direct link but please make sure you read the whole FAQ below as it contains important info
It is a place where the public can easily learn a bit more about what 'civil legal aid' is and, what the recent proposals to cut it will mean to them if they ever have a legal problem in the future and need to get professional help to sort it out. It's also a place to read and share stories of people who have been assisted by legal aid
What we are trying to do at MyLegal
explain to people who don't work in legal aid just what is going on and why it's important
give people who have actually used legal aid services an opportunity to tell their story
Why should people tell their story
This is the beauty of MyLegal. Because you are going to tell them to
I continue to see lots of initiatives going on within the profession aimed at raising awareness. Lots of lobbying of MPs, setting up Facebook pages (good idea, by the way) and such like. I think these are all important and absolutely necessary. However, I don't see much, if anything, that is directed towards the general public nationally, and, specifically, clients who have actually used the services that the reform proposals intend to cut. This seems like a gaping hole to me, a hole that needs to be plugged
Ultimately, I think you have to view your clients as the great untapped resource in all this. If anyone would have an opinion on what and how valuable your services were, it would be those individuals who you've helped and whose lives you've changed
Probably only a very small minority of your clients will actually take the time to contribute but, stories directly from real people are incredibly powerful and, over time, would attract a significant amount of interest
Can I put up my own case studies, about my own clients
Absolutely. In fact, some clients may ask you to do this for them. In essence, MyLegal is there to help you make the case for advice by engaging directly with the public. It should provide materials for others to use for lobbying at a national level and, should assist you to make your case for properly funded legal advice at a local level
At the moment, we have a few case studies from ilegal team member Richard at Bolton CAB. This is just to get the ball rolling so you could get a feel for it. Hurry up and get yours on too, it's not just a platform for Bolton CAB!
The other way of looking at this is that it is a free online repository for your own case studies too. Somewhere where the local and national media can pick up the stories that matter and take them further
How would we tell people about MyLegal
I've produced a suggested template letter that ideally you would give to all your current legally aid funded clients. It would tell them about the proposals and that your services, like those they have just had or are still receiving, won't be there (or will be severely limited) in the future
The leaflet/letter would be on your headed paper, probably signed by a senior person and describe to your clients the very real threat there is to the funding of your agency, firm or organisation
You could also send the letter to old clients or even use it with your MP, the media and so on. How you use it is entirely up to you. It should save you time and effort, and give you an opportunity to do something else that is not time and resource intensive yet very effective
You can find a link to the letter, along with one to MyLegal, at the bottom of this post
Should we really do this, why not just support the big campaigns
It's up to you whether you get involved and yes, you should join in with the big campaigns. However, I would hope that you would see the advantages of your clients saying positive things about the service they received from you
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, my personal view is that legal advice providers have a professional (and moral) obligation to let your community and client base know that your services may be severely restricted to them in the future. In addition, that you are doing something about it and want them to join in too
Won't it just be somewhere for people to moan about the legal profession, as you see for example on the online blogs and news sites
Sure. I am convinced that there are people out there who specifically target anything positive online about legal aid and try to shoot it down in flames. You continue to see ridiculously bigoted and ignorant replies on the Guardian site, and the Gazette, for example. However, myLegal will be moderated mercilessly. If something is inappropriate, it will be deleted/moderated. There are also a number of other automatic safeguards built in, but I'll keep those to myself as I wouldn't want to be giving the game away to the trolls out there who will no doubt try and bring it down
We need moderators
It's going to be tough maintaining two large online platforms. I need people who are prepared to take on the moderator role - like the ilegal team members do on ilegal - and help out
It's not difficult, but I would have to go through the basics of how to moderate people's posts with you
If anyone is interested, please drop me an email. I'm particularly keen to get people who are good with clients, balanced and fair
Should we register at MyLegal as well as ilegal
I have. You should too
Will it work
Yes, I think that it has every chance, particularly if the sector agrees that the client perspective is important and gets involved. I asked myself the same question when I originally set up ilegal. It has now proved its value over and over again. I think that sometimes you have to open your mind to a new approach, a new idea and just give it your best shot
You can download the template letter for your clients, here:
