Community.Lawyer Workshop with Robert Alexander of Vanguard420
part of the October practicelaw Conference
featuring Thomas Officer (Community.Lawyer) and Robert Alexander (Vanguard)
recorded October 5, 2020, Noon – 1:00 pm
Presentation
Thomas “Toma” Officer covers the basics of building a legal ‘application’ using the Community.Lawyer platform. Community.Lawyer is the technology used in the MSBA’s practicelaw library to automate forms and other resources. The tool is available to attorneys and MSBA members. Thomas will cover the basics including:
- Identifying internal firm-facing processes and client-facing projects which might benefit from an automated process;
- Best practices for developing legal applications (proper labeling of ‘variables’, for example);
- Descriptions of commonly-used deliverables (e.g., package of corporate documents, intake forms which populate practice management applications, etc.)
Then, we are joined by Robert Alexander. Robert build Vanguard420 using Community.Lawyer. This tool asks a series of questions to determine whether a prospective client is eligible for cannabis expungement relief or other types of criminal records relief. If ineligible, the App tells the client why not and asks if the prospect might be interested in other types of relief. If eligible, and the prospect chooses to hire Robert’s firm, the App collects even more information, drafts an engagement letter, collects a deposit, and emails us the engagement letter plus an outline of their petition.
About Toma and Robert:
Thomas has been designing and building legal software products for the past 8 years. In 2016, he was awarded a Design Fellowship from Blue Ridge Labs @ Robin Hood and cofounded Community.lawyer, where he serves as Design Lead today.
Robert is founder of the Chicago firm, Vanguard Associates, LLP and a graduate of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Justice Entrepreneurs’ Program (JEP). Rob has dedicated his practice to helping people move through and beyond the criminal legal system. In addition to defending his clients, Rob will ensure that his clients are aware of the way that any case outcome can affect their lives going forward. When advising clients, he takes the time to understand their goals for the case and for the future and works to ensure that they know their rights and responsibilities after the case has concluded
Contacts
Robert: robert.alexander@vanguardadvocates.com |vanguardadvocates.com
Thomas: thomas@community.lawyer | community.lawyer
Recording/Convention Host and Participant: Mike Carlson, Practice Management Advisor, Minnesota State Bar Association, 612.278.6336 | mcarlson@mnbars.org
CLE Credit Applied for: 1 Standard Credit - 330011