2019 NLADA Annual Conference-Innovative Justice

Do your clients ever struggle to make decisions? Keep track of papers and court dates? Remember details or have problems staying on track during interviews? Including social workers on the interdisciplinary team is not a new legal service delivery model used to address clients’ barriers to getting legal assistance – such as mental illness, homelessness, low-literacy, cognitive deficits, and lack of transportation – so they can effectively engage with their attorney and achieve positive outcomes in their case. In this program, we hope to take the topic of using social workers in your practice setting a step further. You will hear from social workers as well as a senior attorney who will share case studies and lessons learned from integrating social work in the civil legal aid and criminal law context and how with the effective use of social worker in your practice setting, you and your organization can improve legal services to your clients and achieve better outcomes in your legal cases.