Our Vision
They could:
• enable far more people, especially those who can’t afford to hire lawyers, to access civil justice;
• make the criminal justice system fairer and more efficient; and
• promote the dignity and respect of individuals and families as they encounter the justice system.
The Access to Justice Lab creates and shares the rigorous evidence needed to make these transformations happen.
A Program of
Theory of Change:
access-to-justice interventions and gold-standard, randomized evaluations
randomized control trials to find out what works for individuals and families in civil and criminal law
lessons learned and best practices to transform the system
current and future practitioners, scholars, and judges in research methods and results to increase capacity and support for rigorous empirical methods
7
Projects in the Field
1,794
Pages of self-help materials designed
7,700+
Study Participants
Latest news
Ready, set, launch…Court Date Reminders in a Public Defense Setting
The Access to Justice Lab has started a new study to learn whether text message communication between arrestees and their public defenders can reduce failure to appear (FTA) rates, improve attorney-client relationships, and avoid unnecessary incarceration. Failure to appear at trial is often a reason that policymakers give for incarcerating people before their trial date. Read more about Ready, set, launch…Court Date Reminders in a Public Defense Setting[…]
A2J Lab Webinar: Evaluation and Research in Law
Are you considering evaluating a project but don’t know where to start? Have you ever been curious about what you can learn from different evaluation methods? April Faith-Slaker and Matthew Stubenberg have put together a great introductory webinar that describes different evaluation options. The 45-minute video, designed for members of the legal profession, gives a Read more about A2J Lab Webinar: Evaluation and Research in Law[…]
Explore divorce evaluation results with a new interactive tool
Melissa Gayton is a Special Projects Assistant with the Access to Justice Lab and a student at Harvard College. In 2018, the A2J Lab completed a study with the help of the Philadelphia VIP and the Philadelphia Family Court on the accessibility of divorce in Philadelphia. The study randomized low-income people seeking a divorce into Read more about Explore divorce evaluation results with a new interactive tool[…]
Ready, Set, Launch…AmeriCorps in Legal Aid (Montana)
We’re live in Montana! Our collaborators at Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) have worked hard with April Faith-Slaker over the past several months to design an evaluation of their AmeriCorps non-lawyer advocacy program. This newest evaluation adds a lot of firsts for the A2J Lab: the first study focusing on a primarily rural location, the Read more about Ready, Set, Launch…AmeriCorps in Legal Aid (Montana)[…]
New guide for plain language in law
Speaking and writing with clarity is a core need for communication. In all professions focusing on improving access to justice, this concept is woven throughout our work as a key element to enabling our constituencies, clients, and users to understand process and obligations. Work to make language easier to understand is particularly important in the Read more about New guide for plain language in law[…]
Coding for Lawyers
We had a great turnout at our Coding for Lawyers session at this year’s Innovation in Technology Conference (ITC) held in New Orleans. Taught by A2J Lab researcher Matthew Stubenberg and Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice/Technology Fellow William Palin, the session went into the details of what’s inside the software and platforms that lawyers Read more about Coding for Lawyers[…]
Access to justice issue of Dædalus available free online
If you’re looking for some good reading this week, we’ve got you covered. The current issue of Dædalus, a publication of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is entirely focused on how the U.S. can address the access to justice gap. The first-ever open access issue of the journal, the publication includes twenty-four essays that cover a Read more about Access to justice issue of Dædalus available free online[…]
Ready, set…
Ready, set…2019! Before we start the new year, we want to thank all of you who have made 2018 such a success. With your support, this past year we’ve: Launched new studies (including our evaluation of holistic defense in Tennessee); Built exciting new collaborations across the country and worked with more students than ever to Read more about Ready, set…[…]
The TN Social Work in Public Defense Study Has Launched!
April Faith-Slaker has been on the road this past week launching the Lab’s newest field operation. Working closely with a group of collaborators throughout Tennessee, April has over the past eight months co-developed and now launched an evaluation of the impact of a holistic defense approach that includes social workers on the public defense team. Read more about The TN Social Work in Public Defense Study Has Launched![…]
Divorce evaluation results are in!
We’ve completed the Philadelphia divorce study, and we’re excited to share the results! You can read about the study’s findings in Faculty Director Jim Greiner’s op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer online. (Note: philly.com uses a limited paywall with a ten-article limit.) After six years of work with our partners in Philadelphia VIP, an organization that matches low-income Read more about Divorce evaluation results are in![…]
Lab Staff
D. James Greiner
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Rianna Brooks
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Renee L. Danser
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April Faith-Slaker
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Ryan Halen
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Natasha Khwaja
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Sandy North
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Matthew Stubenberg
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