About Drupal for Legal Aid Websites

This website (www.legalaidtech.org) exists to provide information, community discussions, resources, downloads, and support for the Drupal for Legal Aid Websites (DLAW) software.

Sample Theme

What is Drupal for Legal Aid Websites?

Drupal for Legal Aid Website (DLAW) is a free and open source website management software built specifically for legal aid organiations. The software is based on the popular open source Drupal web content management system. DLAW includes many of the features required by legal aid organizations, including a self-updating National Subject Matter Index (NSMI) classification and tagging system.

How Was DLAW Funded?

DLAW is developed and maintained by Urban Insight in collaboration with Legal Services National Technology Assistant Project (LSNTAP), Idaho Legal Aid Services (ILAS) and a collaboration of legal aid organizations from 23 states. Funding was provided by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

Who Supports DLAW?

Because DLAW is free and open source software based on Drupal, anyone can freely download, install, and maintain the software. For those organizations who do not have dedicated technical staff, support is also available.

Optional website hosting, regular software updates, and support is available through DLAW's technology partner, Urban Insight. Urban Insight is a technology consulting firm that helped to develop DLAW. The services Urban Insight provides are detailed on the Hosting and Maintenance page on this website.

Urban Insight will maintain DLAW for a minimum of 1 year (through October, 2010) under its current contract. Urban Insight expects to continue maintaining DLAW while demand exists for the software, hosting, maintenance and support.

How Do I Get the DLAW Software?

DLAW is provided as a downloaded package of files that can be installed, configured. In order to get a website based on DLAW running, you need to download the software, and follow the installation instructions provided with the software. If you plan to have others view your website, you will also need a suitable website hosting account. Recommended specifications for website hosting can be found on the Hosting and Maintenance page.

DLAW is often referred to by parters as the "Open Source Template" (OST) for legal aid organizations. Organizations with appropriate technology staff can choose to extend DLAW by installing and configuring any of hundreds of additional modules provided as part of the Drupal project.

When Did This All Happen?

Feb 2009: Development of the Open Source Template based on Drupal (OST/Drupal) begins.
Aug 2009: Initial version of OST/Drupal deployed for Idaho Legal Aid Services website.
Sep 2009: DLAW OST/Drupal package 1.1.3 (Drupal 6.14 Core) released on legalaidtech.org website.
Sep 2009: This website (www.legalaidtech.org) created with information, resources, community discussion and support for DLAW OST/Drupal.
Oct 2009: Urban Insight begins providing DLAW hosting and support services.

Who is Urban Insight?

Urban Insight is an experienced, creative, and professional technology consulting firm. We plan, build and operate successful websites using web content management systems, including the Drupal framework.

Dedicated to helping the open-source Drupal CMS project flourish