Each hotline station must have certain basic equipment: a desk, a chair, a computer, and a phone with a headset and a long cord or wireless headset. The headset is essential because it frees the attorney’s hands to use the computer, make notes, or look things up. Although eventually all the program’s Frequently Asked Questions, written materials, publications for mailing, and other desk top references should be catalogued and loaded into the computer files or available online, inevitably the program will also need bookcases to hold written materials, racks for publications available for mailing out, file cabinets for files, someplace to put messages, and as much wall space as possible on which useful lists, charts, memos, schedules, etc can be posted. The desk should be large enough to hold frequently used resources. These include telephone books for the jurisdiction and surrounding areas, including yellow pages, reference books of whatever kind is needed, loose leaf binders with useful information, frequently used directories, manuals, guides, etc. Basic office supplies including stationery and scratch paper should be routine.

A particularly useful item is a form file. This is a file containing copies of the forms most commonly encountered by program staff and clients. For instance, the file might have the forms for applying for Medicaid, food stamps, and other public benefits. It should also have pertinent federal, state, and local tax forms; basic probate forms, a Medicare card, birth and death certificates, deeds, and so on. Thus, if a client calls for advice about a matter involving one of these, the attorney will be better able to identify the problem. Forms are also useful when counseling clients who can’t read well. For maximum efficiency these should all be available online. Until that can be achieved each station should have all of these items immediately on hand. More costly resources can be centrally located and shared by all. Also invaluable is a legal matter subject file. As articles about particular subjects important to the hotline’s services come in, they should be placed in a subject file so that attorneys can quickly update their knowledge as needed until the updates can be synthesized and incorporated into the Frequently Asked Questions Manuals.

It is a good idea for the hotline staff to be as familiar with external resources, including non-legal resources, as with internal ones. Information about external resources of all kinds can be compiled into a fingertip reference that is accessible to all hotline staff. Such information can also be included in a computer program for even more efficient access.

Hotline staff requires different kinds of resources than those relied on by other program staff. Hotline staff needs quick access to a wide range of substantive legal information in an easy-to-find format. Thus, the hotline office should have state statutes, United States Code and C.F.Rs., substantive law manuals, checklists, income eligibility data, copies of relevant statutes of limitations, etc. AARP Foundation has prepared a reference manual of 91 Frequently Asked Questions, Attorney and Client versions, for each state. These can be accessed by any hotline advocate from www.povertylaw.org. The Legal Hotline Bulletin, from AARP, provides information about emerging issues or recent changes in the law. Current and recent back issues are available at www.legalhotlines.org. All of these materials can also be accessed at www.aarp.org/litigation. Most of the necessary information and resources are also available on the Internet.

It is useful to have telephone books for surrounding areas, maps of the service area, directories of social service agencies, government agencies, and so forth. Information about external resources of all kinds can be compiled into a fingertip reference that is accessible to all hotline staff. Such information can also be included in a computer program for even more efficient access. Any investment made in developing a well- organized compilation of all resources will pay off in the long run with resulting increased efficiencies in staff time as well as higher levels of client satisfaction.

The hotline office should also have a wide assortment of publications of the sort that can be sent to clients. Many of these are published by government agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. State and local governments will also have useful publications. Others may be developed in house or by other advocacy groups. If a program doesn’t have a publication on a specific topic, it can review the state specific self-help guides published by AARP at the hotline library section of www.povertylaw.org. It can also look at the websites for other legal services program in the jurisdiction to see if their publications can be downloaded.