Extending Capacity through Partnership

What if the answer isn't simply hiring more people?

Legal services organizations are constantly being asked to reach more people with resources that rarely grow at the same pace.

Sometimes the answer really is to hire. But there are also times when an organization can expand what it is able to do by bringing other people into the work in thoughtful ways.

We have built and managed models that brought pro bono attorneys, interns, law students, community navigators, volunteers, and community partners into the work.

The challenge was never simply finding people who wanted to help. The harder part was figuring out how to make their involvement genuinely useful without creating more work for the staff already carrying the program.

The people coming into the work needed enough training and support to be successful. The staff overseeing them needed a system they could actually manage. The model had to make additional capacity feel like capacity rather than another responsibility added to an already full plate.

When it works, the result is more than a larger workforce.

It is a different way of delivering services, one that allows an organization to reach more people while making better use of the people and resources already around it.

What we built

• Pro bono service models

• Recruitment and onboarding systems

• Training and supervision structures

• Quality control processes

• Blended staff and volunteer workflows

• Community-based service models