Sarah Massett, Assistant Director of the Everson shared Susan’s sentiments: “The Annual 2014 VOICES event was a resounding success, honoring Bill Hider, who has done so much to make our community a better place, and raising awareness and important funds to two organizations that are essential to the well-being of our region,” said Massett. “It is truly an honor to join VOICES, and in doing so, support two organizations that are essential to the well-being of our community,” said Hider. “I feel this so strongly because I have been involved personally as a volunteer for both the Hiscock Legal Aid Society and Everson Museum of Art for many years. Communities are about people. The Hiscock Legal Aid Society and Everson Museum of Art strive to serve each individual in our community. By ensuring equal access to justice, and the opportunity for transformational experiences with art, these organizations raise us up.” LEGAL SERVER In 2014, HLAS undertook an ambitious information technology overhaul that dramatically changed the work flow of the agency. The IT overhaul is the result of a long process that included examining different software packages that could best suit the needs of HLAS. Older technology that could not cope with the demands and work flow processes of a 21st century firm was replaced with new computers and a new cloud/document/case management system called LegalServer. LegalServer was implemented at the end of 2014 and into 2015. LegalServer is made exclusively for legal aid organizations and streamlines internal processes, fosters inter-office collaboration and builds capacity for the organization. It also allows for improved grants management, supervision, data input, collection and reporting. With the new system, attorneys have secure access to the client database from outside the office and are very useful while in court. Attorneys also have access to all paperwork about the case and can scan documents directly to the network. Orders, letters, legal documents are all stored in LegalServer and can be accessed easily without having to find a hard copy. With the new system, program coordinators input client information for civil matters, family court, parole and extradition, appeals, etc. Everyone has access to this information, including the next court date and case notes. This IT upgrade was supported with generous grants from the Gifford Foundation, the CNY Community Foundation, the Allyn Foundation and the New York Bar Foundation. OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS We are grateful for the many collaborations we have around the community that allow us to provide holistic support for our clients. These collaborations include but are not limited to HomeHeadquarters (Foreclosure Prevention Project), Legal Services of Central New York (Cancer Legal Advocacy and Services Project), Forclosure Prevention Project, Vera House (International Victims Project), the Center for Community Alternatives , LASMNY, and other human services providers (Parent Success Initiative), Legal Aid Society of Rochester and Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York and Albany (Upstate New York Immigration Law Project). 175
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