What is Zope

This chapter provides an anecdotal case study of the adoption of open source software by governmentfunded nonprofit organizations in the legal services community. It focuses on the Open Source Template, a Web site system that provides information to the public on civil legal matters, and collaborative tools for legal aid providers and pro bono attorneys. The successful aspects of the adoption within this community are traced to the funders’ emphasis on developing re-usable, non-proprietary technology tools, the strong communitarian ethic which nonprofits share with the open source community, and the presence of an active support network to broadly leverage intellectual capital. It is hoped that this chapter will assist those considering the adoption of open source software by identifying the specific factors that have contributed to the success within the legal services arena and the real-world benefits and challenges experienced by the members of that community.