The Brief Services Unit
AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly - 020119
Abstract Number: 20119
January 2003
AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) created a Brief Services Unit (BSU) to streamline the client intake process by using staff supervised non-attorney volunteers to resolve brief services cases that are not resolved by the hotline. The BSU also develops extended services cases for direct referral to LCE's Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) for placement with either a pro bono or LCE staff attorney.
According to LCE, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of cases not resolved on the hotline are later closed through either advice and counsel or brief services by legal aid attorneys. The implementation of the BSU resulted in a more efficient and effective allocation of resources and personnel, that allowed staff attorneys to spend more time on extended services cases and less on brief consultation sessions. Brief services cases are resolved at a lower cost through the use of specially trained volunteers.
Except for emergencies, the hotline refers all unresolved brief services matters to the BSU. The hotline also refers to the BSU extended services matters that require additional development in order to resolve. The BSU processes and closes brief services cases and develops and refers extended services cases to VLP for referral. Under the BSU model staff attorney resources are used primarily for extended service cases that the VLP is unable to refer to a pro bono lawyer.
Programs can transfer a staff paralegal and attorney to create a BSU. The staff paralegal and attorney will recruit and train non-attorney volunteers to do the most of the work on brief services cases such as call for information, request records, draft letters, etc). The attorney and paralegal are responsible for the legal work required.
Contact Information:
Grayce Rund
AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
601 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20049
Phone: (202) 434-2098
Fax: (202) 434-6593
Email
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