 We talk a lot about innovation, but what does it really mean? Does it mean using the most cutting-edge technologies and going boldly where no one has gone before? People often think of it as spaceships and robots, but innovation can actually be much more basic. You can innovate simply by using already established technologies in ways that are new to your organization. As kids, we do this naturally. We think of all sorts of crazy ways to use the things we have on hand. However, there are basic technologies that you should have in place before you try out new ideas. You need a solid foundation of office infrastructure, including up-to-date computers, a shared file server and backup system, and office software that includes email and calendaring together. You'll also need a solid case management system that is flexible enough to evolve with you as your organization seeks new opportunities for innovation. Once you have the basics in place, there are a number of technologies that can provide a launching pad for innovation and deliver a significant return on investment. Document assembly automates the creation of legal documents that are used repeatedly, like wills, leases, contracts, and letters. Essentially, any document you need to create, no matter how complex, can be assembled through a user-friendly interface and a document assembly tool. For intake, applicant clients, navigators, or volunteers can input information into an online system to determine suitability for legal aid representation, collect information about the individual and his or her situation, and provide information to clients. Many organizations are innovating with intake by including other functions such as triage and finding new ways to make the questionnaires more user-friendly. The ability to integrate your intake with your case management system also opens up opportunities to think differently about the data you collect and how that data can be used to better understand client needs. Mobile devices are an increasingly important way to communicate with and provide services to clients. Text messaging offers a simple, cost-effective way to provide instant information and stay connected with people who do not have online access. Mobile apps open up whole new opportunities for interaction. Today's mobile apps can help you provide information and link users to various tools, including online intake and video conferencing, but many more innovative approaches remain unexplored. But those are the things that pretty much every legal aid organization needs. Let's take a look at some other innovative technologies or approaches that can benefit legal aid organizations. Justice is often represented by balanced scales, but that balance is only possible when both sides have the information they need to best present their case. Self-represented individuals often struggle to understand the legal framework for their argument and communicate their point of view effectively. Technology-enabled learning tools have the potential to balance the information asymmetry most self-represented litigants face. An expert system is more than a self-guided tour through a legal topic. It's a chance for self-represented litigants to gain increasingly deep knowledge in complex areas of law through videos, handbooks, checklists, practice materials, the creation of legal forms, or a review of legal scenarios. Expert systems can also offer the help of decision-making expertise that emulates what a human expert can provide. Many expert systems are a series of questions that shift as the user provides answers. Using algorithms that consider the nature of the legal issue, the complexity of the issue, and the capacity or sophistication of the user, an expert system can provide the proper information or make a referral. One major engine of innovation using expert systems is Georgetown's Iron Tech Lawyer competition. Each year, Georgetown law students are challenged to create an expert system app that can help a user solve a legal problem. 2015's winning apps, including a disaster assistance and recovery tool, free legal resources from LawHelp California, and the ADA2GO app, which helps both individuals with disabilities and businesses understand their rights and responsibilities. A Dutch site that provides online tools to help parties settle disputes is the model for a similar program in development in British Columbia, Canada. MyLawBC will actively guide users to a resolution based on the specific details of their case. In Illinois, homeowners facing the prospect of foreclosure can use an interactive timeline that teaches them about the foreclosure process and helps them know what to expect at each stage. Self-paced modules, content users can go back to same day or months later, are another flexible and user-friendly way to provide information. The Office for Victims of Crime offers victim assistance training online, video modules like this one, that show victim service providers how to effectively assist victims of crime. Possibly the most user-friendly approach to self-help tools is the burgeoning gamification movement. Essentially, gamification puts tools in the form of a video game, which helps users move more seamlessly through a process or play out different scenarios. New Haven Legal Assistance is currently partnering with New Law Lab to create a game that will better prepare self-represented litigants for their day in court by putting them in front of a virtual judge to help demystify the process and alleviate anxiety. Games tend to be expensive to do well, however. It's hard to create something that is realistic enough to be truly useful and still fun. Technology also offers new opportunities for real people to connect with each other and the ability to serve clients who wouldn't have had the opportunity to get legal help otherwise. Four legal aid organizations recently carried out text message campaigns using a TIG grant and with the help of Law Help and Pro Bono Net. These campaigns have provided consumer rights information in Georgia, immigration and domestic violence information in New York, juvenile criminal record expungement in Illinois, and driver's license reinstatement in Washington state, all by text message. A key factor in the success of a text message information campaign is marketing. Collectively, the organizations worked with a firm called Free Range to create templates and customized marketing materials that they used to spread the word about their new services. Another example of a successful mobile app comes from Citizenship Works. Its app provides access to an immigration legal services directory and information about the naturalization process. It also can help users determine eligibility, fill out customized checklists of documents needed, and provide practice questions for the citizenship exam. The app is currently offered in both English and Spanish. An app created by the Youth Services Network in Minnesota provides real-time information on which shelters have open beds and where to get food, medical help, and other basic needs. Live Chat is an easy way to add a human touch to self-service technologies such as online intake and expert systems. Users on your site can simply click and open up a dialogue box where a staff member is ready to answer a question or provide support. Legal aid offices spread across the country often have a hard time communicating with each other and reaching clients in all parts of the state. Video conferencing can shrink those distances in ways that benefit both attorneys and clients. Legal Assistance of Western New York recently carried out a video conferencing installation project and created a guide based on its experience for other organizations considering a similar project. The guide looks at whether your organization needs video conferencing, the costs, choosing equipment and vendors, installation and configuration, becoming a Social Security Administration site, and training. Another example of video conferencing at work comes from a private foster care and adoption agency. Our Kids of Miami-Dade Monroe uses video conferencing to stay connected with foster kids placed in homes. It partnered with AT&T to provide broadband internet access to foster care families that can then be used for informal video check-ins between official visits. Kiosks are often used for triage or intake, but a self-help kiosk might be the most effective way to reach self-represented litigants in rural states that lack widespread internet access. Montana Legal Services Association shows us one example of how kiosks could work. Placed in three remote locations in Montana, litigants can access a wide range of online resources and live chat with a member of the Montana Legal Services Association staff. The design and setup were basic, the technology didn't require sophisticated skills, and the costs were reasonable. The New York Legal Assistance Group took to the road to provide legal help. Using a custom-built bus with video links to the New York City Court system, it travels to the five boroughs and Long Island, bringing attorneys and law student volunteers to neighborhoods where free legal help is needed most. Churches, libraries and civic organizations can schedule the bus to provide legal help on location. At least one attorney is always on the bus, but is accompanied by other staff and volunteers as needed. Technology could also make it easier for attorneys and other legal professionals to volunteer time to your organization. The Community Corps is one example of a website that acts as a matchmaker for skilled professionals and organizations in need of help. In this case, IT professionals can log in and find a project posted by a school or nonprofit that matches their particular skills or interests. Data is another way your organization can be innovative and do more to serve clients. Dashboards provide a useful way to display your data so that you can better measure, monitor and manage your work. Your dashboard can track operational data, program spending and budgets, and program impact. The key is figuring out what is the right amount of data to have available at a glance. Graphic Information System, or GIS, mapping, is a relatively simple way to use data already in your case management system to learn more about the needs in your community. For example, by plotting the zip codes where evictions took place, you can see where residents might be most vulnerable and set up self-help clinics and work with advocacy organizations to help more people stay in their homes. Google Earth, in combination with other tools, is one of the most accessible ways to visualize a data set on a map. Read the LSN TAP blog series to learn more about how this works. Maps also allow you to show in vivid detail where the needs are greatest and argue for increased funding and attention. Beyond mapping, there are a number of different ways your data can be a valuable tool for innovation. However, to find new information and devise new approaches to legal aid intervention, you may need the help of a data scientist skilled in analyzing complex data sets. Powerful analytics tools can be created or adapted to help you gain important insights that can further your mission. For example, the Polaris Project uses Palantir's software to search for patterns in its anti-trafficking hotline data. With the help of this analytical tool, the Polaris Project is able to structure intervention campaigns differently, improve victim services, and respond more quickly to growing threats. Each of these innovative projects and dozens more happening at legal aid offices across the country began with a need and the determination to find a new way to meet that need. You have the tools to be an innovator for legal aid attorneys and clients. Now it's time to commit the time, attention, and resources to finding and implementing the next big technology breakthrough in legal aid. This video series was made possible by a grant from the Legal Services Corporation. To learn more about the use of technology at legal aid organizations, visit lsntap.org.