Pro Bono Law Ontario's signature project for unrepresented litigants, Law Help Ontario, has won the 2010 Law Technology News Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Pro Bono Project.

The Award was presented on February 3, 2010 at a gala reception held in New York City. This is the third award that PBLO has received for its ground breaking project in as many years.

Launched in December 2007, Law Help Ontario is Canada's first court-based pro bono project tailored to meet the needs of litigants who must represent themselves because they do not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Law Help Ontario provides a continuum of brief services to litigants (with civil matters) to help them better navigate the justice system. One of these is A2J, a web-based automated document assembly system that helps them create accurate, properly formatted court forms and pleadings.

PBLO has developed court form templates for every level of Ontario's civil court system from Small Claims to the Court of Appeal, many of which are accessible online at www.lawhelpontario.org. Since launching, Law Help Ontario has helped litigants create over 10,000 court forms.

Litigants can access the software, along with legal advice and duty counsel representation free of charge by visiting PBLO's court-based centres at 47 Sheppard Ave. East and 393 University Ave. in Toronto. A third centre is scheduled to open in Ottawa in March 2010.

"Law Help's combination of self-help resources, a vibrant pro bono program and innovative technology has been a boon to the 8500 clients we've served since launching," says Lynn Burns, PBLO's Executive Director. "Our goal is to make access to the civil justice system a reality for all Ontarians".

PBLO developed its A2J service in partnership with Pro Bono Net, as US based charity that uses partnerships and technological innovations to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer.