Pro Bono Opportunities

Purpose: Allow cases to be tagged as opportunities for pro bono advocates.

These can be advocates that login to LegalServer to see cases staff have marked as opportunities that match their user profile. They can view a brief description of a case (supplied by staff), see parties' names to run conflict checks, and if they confirm there is no conflict, they can see additional information (supplied by staff). They can express interest in a case, or take the case (assign it to themselves) if staff have given them that permission.

Cases that are opportunities can also be retrieved and displayed on a program's website using the Pro Bono Opportunities API.

Cost: None.

How It Works for Pro Bono Advocates Accessing LegalServer

In this section, we'll take a look at the pro bono opportunities tool from the perspective of a pro bono advocate, aptly named Joe Pro Bono, who is logging in to LegalServer as a Pro Bono Restricted Access user.

Selecting an Opportunity

  • On his home page, Joe sees two list views — one each for current and previous pro bono opportunities.
  • The Previous Opportunities list shows cases that are no longer available to Joe because other pro bono advocates either expressed interest or assigned the cases to themselves.

  • The Pro Bono Opportunities list shows cases that (a) have been designated as pro bono opportunities and (b) have legal problem codes that match Joe's subject areas.
  • If enabled, Joe will see the level of expertise required for each case in the list.
  • If Joe is interested in one of the cases in his current pro bono opportunities list, he can click on the Learn More About This Case link.

In the resulting screen, Joe will now see the the names and contact information for the parties in the case so he can run a conflict check.

  • If Joe determines that he does not have a conflict, he can check the Confirmation box to indicate that he has run a conflict check and found no conflicts.
  • Upon checking the Confirmation box, Joe is presented with a detailed description of the facts of the case in the Pro Bono Opening Memo.
  • If he has a conflict or isn't interested in the case, Joe can just click the Cancel and Return to Home Page button.

Expressing Interest in an Opportunity

  • If Joe is interested in the case, he can select the "Interested" option from the Interested/Assign Case dropdown.

  • Joe can also add a note to include in the e-mail that LegalServer sends to the staff member assigned to the case to notify him or her about Joe's interest (or that he has assigned the case to himself).
  • To send the e-mail, Joe will then click the Continue button in the lower right corner to return to the home page.

  • When Joe returns to his homepage, he will see that his Pro Bono Opportunities list view has been updated to reflect his interest in the case.

  • If Joe has second thoughts about the case, he can click on Review and Release to review the opening case memo again and, if he changes his mind, remove his interest from the case.

  • If Joe changes his mind and removes his interest, the Pro Bono Opportunities list view on his home page will reflect that as well.

  • Joe only gets one bite at the apple, so if he expresses interest and then later changes his mind, he cannot change his mind a second time. He can click Review to see the case details, but he can no longer express interest in the case.

  • When Joe is finished reviewing his activity on this case, he can click Return to Homepage.

Self-Assigning an Opportunity

  • If Joe has permission to do so, he can opt to assign the case to himself by selecting the "Assign Case" option from the Interested/Assign Case dropdown.
  • Joe can also add a note to include in the e-mail that LegalServer sends to the staff member assigned to the case to notify him or her about Joe's interest (or that he has assigned the case to himself).
  • To assign the case to himself and send the e-mail, Joe will then click the Continue button in the lower right corner to return to the home page.

  • After clicking Continue, Joe will immediately be taken to the main profile for the case he just assigned to himself.
  • When Joe assigns the case to himself, the case is no longer available to other pro bono advocates. Other pro bono advocates who previously expressed interest in the case will receive an e-mail from LegalServer notifying them that the case has been placed. When Joe returns to his homepage, he will now see the case he assigned to himself in his Current Assignments list view.

  • When Joe returns to his homepage, he will now see the case he assigned to himself in his Current Assignments list view.

Setting Up the Pro Bono Opportunities Tool

Site administrators can enable the pro bono opportunities tool by making the following changes.

Edit Pro Bono Settings

  • Click on the Admin tab at the top of the page.
  • Go to Pro Bono Settings in the Admin tab. Show me more.
  • In the Pro Bono Settings screen, make sure Associate Expertise with User Subjects is set to "Yes."
    • NOTES:
      • The Associate Expertise with User Subjects setting must be enabled for your site to use the pro bono opportunities tool. However, when Associate Expertise with User Subjects is enabled, it will change the behavior of your pro bono advocates' user profiles. Please see the Configuring Pro Bono Advocates for Pro Bono Opportunities section of this page for details.
      • Enabling this setting does not require your agency to use the Level of Expertise lookup. It is possible to use the pro bono opportunities tool without including the Level of Expertise lookup, although using it will give pro bono advocates more information about the opportunities that are presented to them.
  • Set Show Pro Bono Opportunities Listview to "Yes," which allows the pro bono opportunities list to appear on pro bono advocates' home pages and causes links to the Pro Bono Opportunity Matters and Pro Bono Interest Log to appear in the Admin tab.
  • Show Level of Expertise on Pro Bono Opportunities Listview — If enabled, this setting adds a Level of Expertise column to the Pro Bono Opportunities listview on the home page.
    • If a color is set for a value in the Level of Expertise lookup, the Level of Expertise name text will appear in that color in the Pro Bono Opportunities listview.
    • For more details about configuring the Level of Expertise lookup, please see Edit the Level of Expertise Lookup below.
  • Add text to the Pro Bono Opportunity Note field. This note will be displayed in the Pro Bono Opportunity listview and can be used to provide additional information or instructions to pro bono advocates.
  • Add text to the Instructions for Conflicts Disclaimer field. This is the disclaimer pro bono advocates will see and have to acknowledge before they can see any details about a pro bono opportunity.
    • The precise language of this disclaimer must be formulated by your organization, but at a basic level it should state that the pro bono advocate does not believe there is a conflict of interest and wants to review more information about the case.
  • In the # of Cases of Interest Limit per User, enter a maximum number of cases that a pro bono advocate can express in at any given time.
    • TIP: Entering a zero or leaving this field blank will allow pro bono advocates to express interest in an unlimited number of opportunities.
    • Pro bono advocates who attempt to exceed the limit will see an error message informing them that they have exceeded the limit.
  • Enter an e-mail address in the CC for People Interested in Pro Bono Opportunities field to have an e-mail sent to this address every time a pro bono advocate expresses interest in a pro bono opportunity.
  • Click Continue in the lower right corner to save your changes and return to the main Admin page.

User Role Permissions

  • Go to User Roles (Permissions) in the Admin tab.
  • Select the Pro Bono Restricted Access user role.
  • Check the box next to View Pro Bono Opportunity List (Home) to give advocates with the pro bono restricted access role the ability to see a list of pro bono opportunities on their home pages.
  • Click Continue in the lower right corner to save your changes and return to the list of user roles.
  • Select the Administrator user role (or another role who will administer this tool).
  • In addition to the View Pro Bono Opportunity List (Home) permission, check the boxes next to View Pro Bono Interest Log and View Pro Bono Opportunity Matters.
  • Click Continue in the lower right corner to save your changes.

Edit the Level of Expertise Lookup

NOTE: Use of the Level of Expertise lookup is optional. The pro bono opportunities tool will work even if your agency chooses not to use it. However, your agency might still want to customize it so you can identify individual pro bono advocates' level of expertise in different practice areas. For more information, please see Managing Pro Bono Advocates' Subjects. It can also be used to give pro bono advocates more information about the opportunities presented to them. See Designating a Case as a Pro Bono Opportunity.

  • Go to Lookups in the Admin tab. Show me more.
  • In the Lookups listview, you can quickly locate the Level of Expertise lookup by entering "expert" in the search field.

  • Open the Level of Expertise lookup for editing.
    • To add a new option to the Level of Expertise lookup, enter the name and click Continue.
    • To edit an existing option, click on its name in the Level of Expertise list
    • Selecting a color is optional. If a color is selected, the value will appear in the chosen color in the Pro Bono Opportunities listview if this is enabled in Pro Bono Settings. If no color is selected, the value will appear in black. See Edit Pro Bono Settings above.
    • Click Continue to save your changes.

Create a Dynamic Process and Form for Creating Pro Bono Opportunities

  • In order to use the pro bono opportunities tool, you should create a dynamic process and form for designating cases as pro bono opportunities.
  • Create an auxiliary process and form called, for example, "Pro Bono Opportunity".
  • Be sure to add the Pro Bono Opportunity block to the dynamic form.

  • If your agency is using the Level of Expertise lookup, you should also add the Level of Expertise field to the form along with the Pro Bono Opportunity block. This will enable users to designate the level of expertise required to handle cases presented as opportunities.
  • Add the dynamic form to the dynamic process.
  • Add a link to the dynamic process on the Actions menu in your site's main profile.

Edit the Main Profile

  • Add the Pro Bono Opportunity block to yoursite's main profile.

  • To allow users to access the pro bono opportunity dynamic process directly from the block, select the process from the "Start Aux Process" dropdown. This will enable users to activate the process by clicking on the "Pro Bono Opportunity" block header.
  • Show this Opportunity to All Users> — if enabled, this gives users the option to make a case available as an opportunity to all users regardless of problem code settings in user profiles.
  • If your agency is using the Level of Expertise lookup, you should also add the Level of Expertise > field along with the Pro Bono Opportunity block.

Edit Close Case Form

To ensure that closed cases are not inadvertently displayed as available pro bono opportunities, you can edit your site's close case form:

  • Open the form for editing.
  • Add the Pro Bono Opportunity Status> field to the form.
  • Open the configuration options for the Pro Bono Opportunity Status field.

  • Set the default value for the field to No: No Longer Available>. This will prevent the case from showing up as available in the pro bono opportunities list view on pro bono advocates' home pages. It will also remove the case from the Pro Bono Opportunity Matters list in the Admin tab on your site.
  • Check the box next to Default Overrides Existing Value.
  • Check the box next to Hidden so the field does not appear on the form.

Edit Assign Pro Bono Form

Most sites will add the Pro Bono Opportunity Status field to this form, similar to the above for a Close Case form. Optionally defaulting to "No: Case Placed".

Edit Dynamic Home Page for Pro Bono Users

If your site uses a dynamic home page profile view for pro bono users, you will need to edit the profile view to work with the pro bono opportunities tool. For details about dynamic home page profile views, please see Home Page and Section Fronts - Customizing.

  • NOTE: A dynamic home page profile view for pro bono users is not required for the pro bono opportunities tool. If your site uses a static home page view for pro bono users, the Pro Bono Opportunities and Previous Opportunities listviews will automatically appear on pro bono users' home pages when you enable the pro bono opportunities tool.
  • Open the home page profile view for pro bono users for editing. Show me how.
  • Add the Pro Bono Opportunities Available - Matters and Previous Opportunities list views to the enabled elements on the profile.

Designating a Case as a Pro Bono Opportunity

To make a case available to pro bono advocates as a pro bono opportunity, follow these steps:

  • Open the profile for the case you want to designate as a pro bono opportunity.
  • Under the Actions menu, click on the link for the pro bono opportunities process. The name of the process will likely be "Create Pro Bono Opportunity" or something similar. (Actions menu links appear on the right side of the screen in the legacy interface.)

If you don't see a link in the Actions menu, locate the Pro Bono Opportunities list view within the case profile and click on the "Pro Bono Opportunity" or "Edit" link at the top of the list.

  • In the dropdown next to Pro Bono Opportunity Status, select "Yes: Available Opportunity".
  • Write a short description of the case in the Pro Bono Opportunity Description Note field. This description will appear in the pro bono opportunities list on pro bono advocates' home pages as well as the form pro bono advocates will use to express interest in the case.
    • WARNING: This description will be visible to pro bono advocates before they have run a conflict check, so it should not contain confidential client information.
  • If you want to allow interested pro bono advocates to assign this case to themselves, set Allow Pro Bono To Assign To Self to "Yes."
    • TIP: Enabling self-assignment for this case only allows pro bono advocates with permission to self-assign cases with this legal problem code to do so; it has no impact on pro bono advocates who don't already have permission to self-assign for this legal problem code. By the same token, disabling self-assignment bars all pro bono advocates from assigning this case to themselves, even if they are allowed to assign cases with this legal problem code to themselves.
  • Add a more specific description of the facts of this case in the Pro Bono Opening Memo> field.
    • The Pro Bono Opening Memo will become visible to pro bono advocates only after they confirm that they have no conflict of interest with the client or adverse parties.
    • This memo should provide pro bono advocates with enough detailed information about the case to decide whether they are interested in and/or want to assign the case to themselves.
  • If you want the staff user(s) assigned to the case to be notified when a pro bono advocate expresses interest in this case, check the appropriate box(es) next to "CC Assignment Regarding Interests".
  • You can also designate other users to be notified by adding their e-mail addresses in the CC Other Staff Regarding Interests .
  • If you want this case to be displayed only to pro bono advocates who are affiliated with a particular organization, you can enter part of the organization's name in the Opportunity Organizations field for instant search results. You can add multiple organizations by running additional searches.
  • Show this opportunity display for all volunteers? — Depending on your site configuration, you might have the option of making this opportunity available to all pro bono advocates regardless of their subject areas and levels of expertise.
  • If your agency is using the Level of Expertise lookup to determine which opportunities to make available to pro bono advocates, you will see a dropdown for selecting the level of expertise required for the case.

Configuring Pro Bono Advocates for Pro Bono Opportunities

Each pro bono advocate must be configured individually to determine how the pro bono opportunities tool will work for them. You can configure pro bono advocates by following these steps:

  • Open a pro bono advocate's profile from your site's Pro Bono List. For details about accessing the Pro Bono List, see Viewing the List of Pro Bono Advocates in LegalServer .
  • Make sure the pro bono advocate has been assigned to the Pro Bono Restricted user role (or the user role your agency is using for pro bono advocates who have limited access to your LegalServer site). Show me how.
  • Under the Actions menu in the pro bono advocate's profile, select Edit User Subjects. (Actions links appear on the right side of the screen in the legacy interface.)
    • NOTE: Previously you viewed pro bono advocates' subject areas in the Extra Information section of the profile and edited the subjects by editing the advocates' Extra Information. When the pro bono opportunities tool is enabled for your site, however, the pro bono advocates' subjects move to their own form where you can view and edit them for pro bono opportunities. You will need to enable the "Edit User Subjects" Actions menu link on your dynamic user profile. 

In the Edit User Subjects form, you can add new subjects or edit existing subjects for this pro bono advocate.

  • Adding a value from the Level of Expertise lookup is optional. You should definitely select a value if your agency is using Level of Expertise to determine which opportunities to present to pro bono advocates. This information is also useful for identifying pro bono advocates for particular cases. For more information, please see Help:Managing Pro Bono Advocates' Subjects.
  • The Links to Show for Pro Bono Opportunities dropdown gives you four options:
    • Don't Show Opportunities for Subject — Selecting this option will prevent this pro bono advocate from seeing any pro bono opportunities that have this legal problem code.
    • Show "Interested" — Selecting this option will permit this advocate to express interest in opportunities that have this legal problem code, but not assign them to himself.
    • Show "Take This Case" — Selecting this option will permit this advocate to assign himself pro bono opportunity cases that have this legal problem code, but not express interest in them.
    • Show Both Links — Selecting this option will permit this advocate either to express interest in opportunities that have this legal problem code or assign them to himself.
  • When you're finished adding or editing a subject area, click Continue to save your changes.

Tracking Pro Bono Opportunities

Depending on your permissions in the system, there a few tools available in LegalServer that will help you keep track of pro bono opportunities:

The Pro Bono Opportunities List in the Pro Bono Advocate's Profile

  • Open a pro bono advocate's profile.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the profile.
  • Click on the Pro Bono Opportunities tab in the tab block.
  • If the pro bono advocate has reviewed a case and decided whether he or she is interested, the case will be included in this list.

The Pro Bono Opportunity List Views in the Admin Tab

  • Click on the Admin tab at the top of the page.
  • Click on Pro Bono Management on the left side of the page.

  • You will see links to the following pages:
    • Pro Bono Opportunity Matters — This list view displays all of the cases in your system that are currently available as pro bono opportunities.

The Case Placement Date shown above is automatically filled in when a pro bono assignment is made on a case. It is not editable as part of the Pro Bono Opportunities block, but can be edited as a bare field element if desired.

  • Pro Bono Interest Log — This list view shows all of the cases in which pro bono advocates have expressed interest.
    • The Matter/Case ID# and Name columns are clickable so you can go straight to the case profile or client profile.
    • To remove a pro bono advocate's interest in a case and make the case available for other pro bono advocates, click Release.

Examples of Emails

Pro Bono User expresses interest in a case

Confirmation sent to pro bono user expressing interest: 

You have successfully submitted an email expressing interest in this case. Someone from DEMO will contact you soon with further details. Your message: I'm interested in this case, let me know if I can take it. 

-- Sent by LegalServer v3.2.X

Sent to agency staff: 

I'm interested in this case, let me know if I can take it. Test PBUser has shown interest in the case: Jane Doe (11-0000204). Please follow up with them for further information. Pro Bono Attorney Work Phone: Pro Bono Attorney Mobile Phone: Pro Bono Attorney Email: Pro Bono Attorney Organization Affiliation: -- Sent by LegalServer v3.2.X

Pro Bono User takes a case

Sent to agency staff: 

Hello Pro Bono Coordinator, I'm taking this case. Probono Example has assigned themself to the case: Jane Doe (11-0000204). Please follow up with them for further information. Pro Bono Attorney Work Phone: Pro Bono Attorney Mobile Phone: Pro Bono Attorney Email: Pro Bono Attorney Organization Affiliation: -- Sent by LegalServer v3.2.X

Pro Bono User had expressed interest in a case that is placed or staff have made unavailable

Sent to pro bono user: 

The case 11-0000204 you were interested in has been placed or is no longer available. -- Sent by LegalServer v3.2.X

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