Live Chat User Guide www.ctlawhelp.org
Welcome to Live Chat! Thank you for volunteering as a Live Chat Operator! Your work as an operator will help improve our service in providing free, understandable legal information and resources to thousands of Connecticut residents via the www.ctlawhelp.org website. Please let us know what we can do to make your volunteer experience more valuable. What are the goals of Live Chat? The Live Chat Program was created to: Provide greater access to the free legal information on www.ctlawhelp.org Support and compliment other online services of www.ctlawhelp.org. Increase positive outcomes for users of www.ctlawhelp.org Neither Live Chat nor www.ctlawhelp.org is intended for use in giving legal advice; both exist to provide legal information only. Live Chat Operators should follow these considerations at all times: Avoid unauthorized practice of law issues (no attorney-client relationship, no confidentiality) Make sure that the chat content does NOT amount to legal advice Operators should never answer a question based upon their own personal experiences or those of someone the operator knows Live Chat Operators have the right to end chats with visitors who are disrespectful or use abusive language. Limitations of Live Chat Understanding by all program staff and volunteers of the purpose and limitations of Live Chat is essential. The Live Chat service will not be able to help everyone. For example, it cannot help: Someone who is looking for legal advice Someone who is in a rush and does not have the time to read the information, view the videos, or complete the forms Someone who is illiterate Someone who is unable to use a mouse/ keyboard/computer Limitations of CTLawHelp.org The website has a wealth of content, but is by no means a comprehensive list of answers to every legal problem. The website is designed for lower-income people, so it does not, for example, contain any information on how to set up a tax shelter or a trust fund. Also, a website user will not find: Information on criminal matters Court forms for every type of civil legal case Legal information on specific municipal ordinances (such as the dog-bite ordinance for the City of Hartford) Do not provide links to external websites that have not been approved (or linked to) by Connecticut Legal Services first 2 Live Chat Operator Training
Getting Started Login to LiveChat by going to www.boldchat.com, go to login screen and be sure to to select web interface login in upper right corner of the screen. You will be assigned a Username and Password by the Live Chat Coordinator. If you do not have one, contact the Live Chat Coordinator to set one up. When you first logon to Live Chat, click on Chats from the left menu. The Operator Console will look like this. The chat area will remain blank until you accept or take a chat session. When a visitor clicks to chat, you will hear a chime and the Chat icon will flash, indicating that a user has initiated a chat. Click on CHAT to begin a Live session. When you click on CHAT to begin the session the user s state will change from Waiting for to Chatting. You will hear a chime and CHAT icon will flash when a user has initiated a chat. Click here to respond. Be sure the green available is visible during your live chat operator hours. Live Chat Operator Training 3
The first icon all the way to the left above the operator chat area is where the canned responses fly out menu is found. The following list contains some (not all) of the most common topics and it will be helpful to familiarize yourself with the content of the full list. Additions can be made to this list if you find yourself answering the same question many times. A SAMPLING OF CANNED RESPONSES Disclaimer I m not a lawyer, but I can help you find information about your legal rights and help you apply for free legal services. I can t act as your attorney, give you advice about your specific situation, or tell you what you should do. Please don t tell me anything private. The other side in your case may contact us to ask for information. In that case, we will also give him or her information. Remember, the information on this website is not a substitute for the advice that a lawyer can give you about your specific legal problem. You may need to talk to a lawyer before you use any forms or documents on our website. Are you okay with this? Please type yes. Disclaimer, No response Are you okay with the above information? I can t help you if you don t answer yes. 4 Live Chat Operator Training
Greeting Hello, my name is ${login.bestchatname}. Welcome to CTLawHelp.org. Not in CT The information on this website is about Connecticut law. You can find information about other states laws and about legal aid in other states here: http://www. lawhelp.org/. If you aren t sure which state s laws apply to your situation, you should contact legal aid in your state and speak to an attorney. DV Hotline Program Info There are lots of programs in CT that help victims of domestic violence. They offer safety planning, information, counseling, support groups, emergency shelter, and more. You can find a program in your area by calling this hotline number: 888-774-2900 or by clicking here: http://www.ctcadv.org/ AboutCCADV/OurMembers/tabid/145/Default.aspx DV Intro, Keeping Safe It sounds like you re having a difficult time. Before we go into the legal information, I d like to give you some basic information about keeping safe. If you are in danger right now, please call 911. If your abuser has access to your computer, he or she might be able to see what websites you ve been looking at. The safest option might be to use a computer at a library. Here is an article that tells you how to clear your computer activity: http://womenslaw.org/laws_state_type.php?id=13404&state_ code=pg&open_id=13413 If you use social networking sites like Facebook or if you have a smartphone, you might want to look at this article about keeping safe online: http://ctlawhelp.org/smartphone-and-internet-safety-domesticviolence-victims Advice, asking for, court procedures I m sorry, but our service can t give you advice about your specific situation. I can t tell you what to do. If you need information about the law, I can help you find it. If you need information about the court s rules and procedures, the court s schedules and deadlines or how to get a case heard by the court you can visit the Court Service Center located in the courthouse closest to you: http://www.jud.ct.gov/csc/loc.htm. Advice, Asking for, hotline I can t tell you what to do because I m not a lawyer but if you want legal advice, you can try calling the Statewide Legal Services hotline at 800-453-3320. Attorney Grievance Link http://www.jud2.ct.gov/attorneyfirminq/attorneyfirminquiry.aspx If you need a private attorney, you can ask your local Bar Association for a referral. There s a list of Bar Associations on this page if you scroll to the bottom: http://ctlawhelp.org/get-help Live Chat Operator Training 5
Live Chat Resource: www.ctlawhelp.org Connecticut s Legal Aid programs created CTLawHelp.org so people with very low income can find help for their legal problems. It gives people in our client-eligible population who cannot obtain a lawyer free legal information and tools so they can self-advocate in court and before regulatory agencies. See the online CTLawHelp site tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55vfbm_vanw&feature=youtu.be The self-help booklets are listed here: Take a look through the self-help guides: http://ctlawhelp.org/self-help-guides Note that legal-aid-booklets-for-printing and self-help-guides are the same information, the for printing booklets are pdf versions for print and the listing is a comprehensive listing by category that s easier for quick reference. Instructional video page: http://ctlawhelp.org/audio-video 6 Live Chat Operator Training
1. Chatter clicks on Chat Live and you are notified here 2. You type greeting in here manually or choose a canned greeting, hit return (Return is your send key). Once you return, your greeting goes under Message History above 3. This is what Chatter sees on screen Live Chat Operator Training 7
Sample Chat about Disability Start with 1. Do you live in CT? 2. I m not a lawyer... (Disclaimer) Both are located in canned responses. Step 1: Go to www.ctlawhelp.org to search for information on Disability 8 Live Chat Operator Training Click on Disability Assistance
Look for the legal aid icon on the subject of disability. Always direct contacts to Legal Aid resources first (indicated by the Legal Aid icon) Provide the Chatter with this link about applying for Disability and SSI Live Chat Operator Training 9
Signing Off There are canned responses set up for signing off from your chat. You re welcome (if you are thanked) and the bye response can wrap it up. You can also customize your responses as needed. Actual live chat transcripts will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to monitor how the chats are going, how effective they are and to discern ways to improve the service provided. Again, thank you for volunteering as a Live Chat Operator and for helping to improve our service in providing free, understandable legal information and resources to thousands of Connecticut residents via the www.ctlawhelp.org website. Where do we go from here??? Volunteers will be required to participate in an on-site training conducted by Legal Assistance Resource Center staff.?? You will be assigned a user name and password.?? We will either conduct a few test chats at the training or schedule a remote test chat.?? Volunteer hours will be scheduled using Google Calendar. 10 Live Chat Operator Training
Additional Resources Center for Children s Advocacy The Center for Children's Advocacy focuses on rights and interests of poor children involved in judicial, welfare, health, mental health, education, and juvenile justice systems. 860-570-5327 65 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105 www.kidscounsel.org The Children s Law Center of Connecticut The Children's Law Center of Connecticut represents children whose families are involved in divorce and custody matters in court. The Law Line provides legal information on family issues such as custody, visitation and child support. 860-232-9993 Law Line: 1-888-529-3667 (toll free) 30 Arbor Street, South, Hartford, CT 06106 www.clcct.org Connecticut Fair Housing Center Connecticut Fair Housing Center provides legal representation for people claiming discrimination in housing matters and foreclosures. 860-247-4400 221 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106 www.ctfairhousing.org Connecticut Legal Rights Project Connecticut Legal Rights Projects provides legal representation to low income adults with psychiatric disabilities, primarily legal problems related to their treatment and civil rights. 860-262-5030 One Vance Drive, Middletown, CT 06457 www.clrp.org Lawyers for Children America Lawyers for Children America provides training and support for volunteer attorneys who represent children in child protection matters in Juvenile Court. 860-273-0441 151 Farmington Avenue, RW61, Hartford, CT 06156 www.lawyersforchildrenamerica.org Consumer Law Project for Elders (CLPE) Are you 60 or over? The Consumer Law Project for Elders (CLPE) provides free legal assistance to people age 60 or over. If you have a debt collection or other consumer problem, please call Consumer Law Project for Elders. 1-800-296-1467 http://ctlawhelp.org Connecticut Veterans Legal Center Connecticut Veterans Legal Center exists to help military veterans recovering from homelessness and mental illness overcome legal barriers to stable housing and income. 203-903-2852 http://ctveteranslegal.org Live Chat Operator Training 11
LIve Chat Volunteer Coordinator Contact: Maureen Brown Legal Assistance Resource Center 363 Main Street, Suite 3-1 Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860-616-4470 email: mbrown@larcc.org Produced by the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut 2014