Applicants answer a short web or WhatsApp form, rules check income and case type against the clinic's criteria, eligible cases are matched to a volunteer lawyer, others get same-day referrals, and anyone with a hearing soon moves to the front of the queue.
Typical results
Same day
Referral list for out-of-scope applicants
14 days
Hearing window that moves a case up the queue
3 days
Typical time from application to a volunteer lawyer
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
A legal aid clinic receives applications by phone, email and walk-in, and the coordinator interviews each person to check income, case type and urgency. Eligible cases wait in a long queue, applicants with a hearing next week sit behind routine matters, and people outside the clinic's scope wait days just to hear they should go elsewhere.
Before and after
Coordinator minutes per application
−70%Days until an out-of-scope applicant gets a referral
−90%Days from application to lawyer assignment
−70%The automation
Applicants fill a short form on the website or on WhatsApp with household size, monthly income, case type and any upcoming court dates. Rules check income against the clinic's thresholds and the case type against its scope. Eligible applicants are matched to a volunteer lawyer by practice area, language and caseload, and out-of-scope applicants get a referral list the same day. Cases with a hearing within 14 days jump the queue and alert the coordinator.
How it works
- 01
Applicant fills a short form
On the website or WhatsApp, the applicant gives household size, monthly income, case type, preferred language and any upcoming court date.
- 02
Eligibility checked by rules
Income for the household size is compared with the clinic's thresholds, and the case type with the areas the clinic covers.
- 03
Urgent cases moved up
Any hearing within 14 days moves the case to the top of the queue and alerts the clinic coordinator.
- 04
Matched to a volunteer lawyer
Eligible cases go to a volunteer with the right practice area and language who has room in their current caseload.
- 05
Referrals for the rest
Out-of-scope or over-threshold applicants receive a list of other relevant services the same day, with a short note on why.
Starts from
- Web intake form
- WhatsApp intake
Delivers
- Volunteer lawyer match
- Same-day referral list
- Urgent hearing alert
The impact
Coordinator time per application typically drops by about 70%, from around 20 minutes to 6. Out-of-scope applicants get referrals the same day instead of after about 5 days, and eligible cases reach a volunteer lawyer in roughly 3 days instead of 10.
Questions about this automation
Who decides eligibility, the system or the clinic?
The clinic sets every rule: income thresholds by household size, covered case types and the urgency window. The rules apply them consistently, and borderline cases, such as income just above the limit or a case that fits two categories, go to the coordinator for a decision instead of an automatic refusal.
How are volunteer lawyers matched?
Each volunteer's practice areas, languages and current open cases are kept in a simple table. A new eligible case goes to the volunteer with the right area and language and the most room, who accepts or declines through a link, and a decline passes the case to the next match.
Can applicants without internet access apply?
Yes. The same questions run on WhatsApp, which most applicants already use, and staff can enter phone or walk-in applications into the same form. Every application then follows the same screening and matching path, whichever channel it came through.