Legal Aid Works: A Community Engagement Case Study
In 2024, Legal Aid Works, a non-profit corporation that provides free, high-quality, civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families, partnered with The Spark Mill (TSM) to conduct a Legal Needs Assessment through community engagement, a critical process to better understand the challenges and priorities of their community across the service region as it had shifted over time. The project began with an intentional, internal phase through conversations with Legal Aid Works’ leadership and a project planning team to identify the assumptions and surface the key questions they wanted answered. This early alignment helped shape the direction of the community engagement work, ensuring that the process would test real questions and deliver meaningful insights.
In August, we connected with Executive Director Ann Kloeckner to reflect on the experience of community engagement with TSM, her takeaways, and what the future of the organization looks like.
Once the project’s foundation was set, TSM launched a robust community engagement effort that included one-on-one interviews and a community-wide survey. Both stakeholders and people with lived experience — those with needs for Legal Aid Works’ services — were invited to share their perspectives. For the organization, this marked its most inclusive and wide-reaching assessment to date. In particular, TSM helped Legal Aid Works introduce new practices such as digital outreach tools, guided interviews, and compensating participants for their time, an equity-centered shift that has since influenced conversations among other legal aid organizations statewide.
The process also prompted Legal Aid Works to engage in conversations the organization might previously have been hesitant to address, including outreach to people who had been turned away for services due to limited capacity. Though staff anticipated the feedback to be difficult, those interviews became one of the most valuable parts of the assessment. By directly hearing from clients and community members, the organization gained perspectives that ultimately informed changes to make services more accessible and responsive. This willingness to confront uncomfortable truths demonstrated a commitment to growth and reinforced the importance of listening as a tool for intentional organizational improvement.
The collaborative approach of this project created new opportunities for Legal Aid Works’ staff to engage more directly in shaping the process. In the past, projects of this kind had been led primarily by leadership, but through the inclusion of staff voices from the beginning, the organization saw a more unified culture. It gave staff the chance to see how their input translated into concrete outcomes. Many described the experience as both eye-opening and energizing, as they gained a clearer view of how community engagement connects to the organization’s broader goals. The process helped build greater ownership and pride across the team, strengthening the sense that every role contributes to shaping the future of Legal Aid Works.
Throughout the project, the flexibility offered by TSM proved invaluable. Even amid a challenging year marked by shifting timelines and unexpected obstacles, the team adapted seamlessly, ensuring that the process never stalled. This adaptability allowed the project to maintain momentum, continually generating actionable insights and fostering a renewed commitment to community-centered work.
The community engagement piece of the Legal Needs Assessment not only provided Legal Aid Works with valuable data, but it reshaped how the organization approaches its mission. By listening more deeply to the voices of clients and community members, Legal Aid Works uncovered practical ways to strengthen its services and reaffirmed its commitment to equity and respect in every interaction. With The Spark Mill’s guidance, the organization was able to institute new practices of engagement that are now embedded in its culture. The change process was a reminder that the path forward must always be shaped in partnership with the community it serves.
