The Access to Justice Lab

Our Vision

Imagine if lawyers, judges, and policymakers used rigorous evidence to design and run the U.S. justice system.

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

Areas of Study

FINANCIAL DISTRESS RESEARCH PROJECT

PRETRIAL RELEASE

EVICTION TRIAGE

GUARDIANSHIP

FEDERAL COURT MEDIATION

THE PROBLEM OF DEFAULT

Theory of Change:

Transforming the justice system by:

Designing
access-to-justice interventions and gold-standard, randomized evaluations
Implementing
randomized control trials to find out what works for individuals and families in civil and criminal law
Sharing
lessons learned and best practices to transform the system
Training
current and future practitioners, scholars, and judges in research methods and results to increase capacity and support for rigorous empirical methods

In 2018, we had

7

Projects in the Field

1,794

Pages of self-help materials designed

7,700+

Study Participants

Latest news

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![…]

What’s the point of a p-value?

Earlier this year, the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University was caught up in a scandal. The alleged transgression? P-hacking. If you have no idea what that means, this post is for you. The papers from our completed studies all use a metric called a “p-value” in the results. A p-value (“p” for probability) Read more about What’s the point of a p-value?[…]

Virtual Reality in Access to Justice

Matthew joined the A2J Lab at the end of July to help study how we can best use technology to bring access to justice. One of the first technologies he set out to study was Virtual Reality. Technology moves quickly and how emerging technology can increase access to justice is of great importance to the Read more about Virtual Reality in Access to Justice[…]

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Lab Staff

D. James Greiner

Faculty Director

Jim Greiner is a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. In 1991, he obtained a B.A. with High Honors from the University of Virginia, which he maintains is the greatest place in the universe.

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Renee L. Danser

Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships

Renee L. Danser, Esquire, is the Lab’s Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships. Ms. Danser obtained a B.A. and her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

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April Faith-Slaker

Associate Director of Research Innovations

April Faith-Slaker is a researcher and attorney whose areas of focus have included pro bono legal services, the juvenile justice system and alternative dispute resolution.

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Ryan Halen

Data Analyst

Ryan Halen is a Data Analyst at the Access to Justice Lab and a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Minnesota. Ryan’s research interests include political methodology and comparative politics.

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Natasha Khwaja

Project Manager, Financial Distress Research Project

Natasha Khwaja manages the Financial Distress Research Project. She earned a B.A. in International Relations and Anthropology from Tufts in 2018. Her previous work experience includes internships at several organizations including the Tufts Labor Lab.

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Carole Mason

Program Administrator

Carole Mason is the Program Administrator for the Access to Justice Lab. Prior to joining the Access to Justice Lab, Carole worked as a faculty assistant at Harvard Law School for 20 years.

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Sandy North

Associate Director for Administration

Sandy North is the Lab’s Associate Director for Administration. She earned a B.A. in history summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 2005 and an MBA with honors from Boston University in 2012.
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Matthew Stubenberg

Associate Director of Legal Technology

Matthew Stubenberg graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2009, and graduated cum laude from Maryland Law School in 2013. His research focuses on understanding how using technology can change how the law is practiced.

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