Step-by-step description of how the TrustLaw Connect service works.
FOR NGOS AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISES:
1. Log in to our site whenever you need legal assistance and complete a quick form. One of our case handlers will give you a call to discuss your request and finalise the wording with you, making sure that the information answers all the questions our legal partners may ask before offering pro bono assistance. Anyone working for a TrustLaw Connect member organisation can obtain a login for the site.
2. Your request is then posted on the site, with a deadline by which lawyers can express their interest. This deadline is typically two weeks after the project is posted.
3. Once the deadline has passed, we share the lawyers' responses with you. It is then up to you to choose which lawyers you would like to work with.
4. Once you have made your decision, the chosen legal team establishes a formal agreement with you. Neither TrustLaw Connect nor Thomson Reuters Foundation will be a third party to this engagement. The legal team will normally need to receive detailed information from you about your organisation for their internal compliance requirements.
The TrustLaw team will request your feedback regularly to make sure that you are happy with the service that we have provided and that the relationship with the lawyers is developing as you had hoped. Your requests can be made visible to all members, allowing other organisations to share their experiences on a particular issue. TrustLaw Connect may also use positive feedback to give public recognition to the best pro bono lawyers.
FOR LAW FIRMS:
1. NGOs and social enterprises log onto our site and complete a quick form describing their legal request. The TrustLaw team reviews every project and helps to ensure every request has all the information a law firm might need to know to make a decision and start working right away. The project is then posted on the TrustLaw Connect platform, and law firms can volunteer to assist through the site.
2. You will receive a weekly email summarising the current projects. If you are interested in any of the projects, you can let us know through the platform, indicating your expertise and resources available.
3. You can volunteer for projects up until the deadline indicated on our platform. Once the deadline has passed, we share your response with the NGO or social enterprise.
4. Once they have made their decision, the chosen legal team is introduced (via email) to the pro bono client and enters into a lawyer-client relationship. Neither TrustLaw Connect nor Thomson Reuters Foundation will be party to this engagement.
The TrustLaw team will request your feedback regularly to make sure that you are happy with the service that we have provided and that the relationship with the lawyers is developing as you had hoped. Your requests can be made visible to all members, allowing other organisations to share their experiences on a particular issue. TrustLaw Connect may also use positive feedback to give public recognition to the best pro bono lawyers.
