Bet Tzedek Self-Help Conservatorship Clinic

Access to Justice for Those Who Need It Most

Details

Bet Tzedek, an LA-based community justice organization, operates a Self-Help Conservatorship Clinic as part of their Access to Justice Programs, and partnered with Theory and Principle to create a web application that allows 24/7 access to information-rich resources for people in a variety of life situations, and a new pathway to get help directly from Bet Tzedek.

This site presented a unique challenge; it needed to make the information available and user experience as simple to understand and follow as possible for both those seeking to become a conservator, a court-appointed person to carry out the care duties of another, or a conservatee, a person whom a judge has decided is unable to care for themselves or to manage their own financial affairs.

The Product

The site is intentional in its straightforward interface, with content curated by experts. By selecting either ‘Learn’ or ‘Get Support,’ available legal options and the conservatorship process are laid out in a simple, easy to follow way. The site also offers LA County residents the ability to sign up for workshops, access needed forms and toolkits, learn about alternatives to conservatorship, access site content in English or Spanish, and even provides resources for community partners.

“We want to use technology to empower people,” says Bertha Sanchez Hayden, Directing Attorney, Seniors, Dependent Adults & Caregiver Direct Services. “Our goal is to remove the barriers that might keep people from accessing this information and our services. Even though one purpose of the clinic is to provide support with probate conservatorship, our mission is to give individual access to a variety of essential legal information and raise the visibility of critical tools.”

“Theory and Principle are the leaders and innovators in the field of platform design. Their expertise and deep understanding of the ultimate end user advanced the impact of the final project.”

Bertha Sanchez Hayden, Directing Attorney, Seniors, Dependent Adults & Caregiver Direct Services for Bet Tzedek

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How did we get there?

Theory & Principle hosted working sessions with Bet Tzedek stakeholders to understand their preferences, goals, and experiences. We understood that the goal of this project was to create an easy to navigate, visually inviting and simplified way to access information and understand a complex legal process. This project uses a headless WordPress framework to support a custom front-end, while allowing the Self-Help Conservatorship Clinic to manage resources and upcoming workshop enrollment themselves in the WordPress system.

“We came to Theory and Principle with a simple vision and no idea how to get started.” Explained Sanchez Hayden. “They took our simple vision and built it into a transformative product. Their team of designers, project managers, and developers provided insights throughout the project development, and served as trusted advisors in a way that really elevated and had a huge impact on the final product.”

Nicole Bradick, CEO of Theory and Principle, noted "This application is unique from many other products we've built because it is laser-focused on solving this one particular problem which is substantial in LA County. It gives users everything they need to self-help, but offers a continuum of services for users who need more support."

The Self-Help Conservatorship Clinic website launched in November 2023.