The Project for the Future of Equal Justice has engaged the Center for Policy Research, Denver to conduct a study of the effectiveness of centralized telephone legal advice, brief service, and referral systems ("Hotlines") in the delivery of civil legal assistance. The Project for the Future of Equal Justice is a joint project of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). The Center for Policy Research is a non-profit research firm that specializes in planning, developing and testing projects to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the justice system.
The study consists of two phases. Phase I, completed in March 2000, used existing data to compare "before" and "after" caseload statistics in programs that had adopted Hotline systems to determine the effect of the Hotline system on the number of clients served and the levels of brief and extended services. Phase II will evaluate the effectiveness of Hotline systems in obtaining favorable outcomes for clients and address other questions relating to Hotline effectiveness identified in Phase I.
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