Pandemic Forces Legal Aid Groups to Think Outside the Box

Pro bono and legal aid efforts are not immune to the adjustments needed to serve clients amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff Heck, Indiana Legal Services' (ILS) pro bono project director, said ILS has been thinking creatively about how to transition some of its pro bono efforts to a virtual format.  

“There is bound to be an increase in family law issues, even if COVID-19 doesn’t cause them, just because 40% of all civil filings are family law filings, and courts have had no hearings for six weeks or so, so the pipeline is plugged up,” Heck said. 

ILS has been taking advantage of this time to train attorneys to provide pro bono legal services so that once courts reopen and ILS can continue some of its in-person pro bono programs.

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