Proof Over Precedent Podcast

Proof Over Precedent is a weekly podcast discussing the work of bringing credible evidence to lawyers, judges, and decision makers, to transform the U.S. justice system into an evidence-based field. Listeners will learn from one-on-one interviews with experts in the area of access to justice–researchers, lawyers, professors, law students, data analysts, research participants, and anyone who has an interesting role in this growing area.

Cartoon depicting non-lawyer legal services in agency immigration litigation

Episode 3: Can Non-Lawyers Offer Relief and Expertise in Deportation Cases?

In this first Student Voices episode of Proof Over Precedent, Harvard Law School student Michael Pusic proposes a possible solution for the 86% of noncitizens detained in immigration court without a lawyer: Enable non-lawyers with specialized training and experience to represent individuals facing deportation. It’s already passed observational tests; now, he says, it’s time for a randomized control trial.

Cartoon reflecting whether legal services can help families avoid child welfare involvement

Episode 1: Could Holistic Legal Services Help Families Avoid the Child Welfare System?

This episode offers a mid-study update on a decades-long randomized control trial, unofficially referred to as the “Child Welfare” project, which evaluates whether families with children who face poverty-related legal and social challenges can avoid unnecessary entries into the child welfare system with the assistance of holistic legal services – a combination of social worker services and a traditional attorney-client relationship.

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Episode 0: Get to Know Us Again

This episode introduces listeners to the Proof Over Precedent podcast and the work of the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. The lab focuses on bringing empirical research into the legal field for both civil and criminal justice systems.

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