Category Archives: Research and Evalation

Rebecca Sandefur Makes the Case for Research in LSC Strategic Plan Comment

Posted on July 10, 2012 by richardzorza

Here is Professor Sandefur’s comment letter to LSC on the Draft Strategic Plan.   Professor Sandefur heads up the access to justice empirical research initiative at the American Bar Foundation (ABF).  I share the letter, with permission, because it makes the case … Continue reading →

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Teaching Doctors Empahty — Some Lessons and Questions for the Legal System

Posted on June 23, 2012 by richardzorza

The Economix blog in the New York Times has a great post on new research that shows that doctors can be taught empathy. In the experiment: Dr. Helen Riess, director of the Empathy and Relational Science Program in the department … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, Medical System Comparision, Research and Evalation, Science | Comments Off on Teaching Doctors Empahty — Some Lessons and Questions for the Legal System

Data Mining — Using Google Tools to Track Changes in Legal Needs

Posted on June 11, 2012 by richardzorza

This should make everyone sad, regardless of political affiliation.  Its a study, described in the New York Times, using Google Insights, of the relationship between racism and voting in the 2008 election. What the researcher did, brilliantly, was to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Research and Evalation, Technology | 1 Comment

NYT Blog on OMB Memo — “The Dawn of the Evidence-Based Budget” — Implications and Ideas

Posted on May 31, 2012 by richardzorza

The Times has a fascinating blog starting with a discussion of a recent OMB memo requiring federal agencies in their 2014 budget planning to build in use of evidence and a focus on low-cost evaluations. As the Memo puts it: … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, LSC, Research and Evalation | 3 Comments

SJI Announces Six Self-Represented Litigation Grants

Posted on April 27, 2012 by richardzorza

The latest issue of SJI E-News announces that the Board has approved six SRL related grants. Here is the text of the announcement: During the 2nd quarter Board meeting, 6 SIG grants were awarded totaling $275,158. These projects address one … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, LEP, Research and Evalation, Triage | Tagged , , | Comments Off on SJI Announces Six Self-Represented Litigation Grants

Nevada Study Suggests that Evaluation of Judges Still Subject to Bias

Posted on April 12, 2012 by richardzorza

This is sad, disappointing, and perhaps predictable. A careful study of attorney evaluation of judges in Nevada finds statistically significant indications that attorney evaluators are reflecting social bias.  Here is the abstract: Judicial performance evaluations (JPEs) are an important part … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, Research and Evalation | Tagged | 3 Comments

Boston Bar Releases Its Report on Housing Studies

Posted on March 5, 2012 by richardzorza

The Boston Bar Association Task Force on the Civil Right to Counsel has just issued its Report on the pilots that it made possible, and that were the subject of, Jim Greiner’s randomization studies.  The Report includes survey data and … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Research and Evalation | 2 Comments

Collection of SRL Data

Posted on February 29, 2012 by richardzorza

Yet more useful info from the Texas forms process. Here is the summary of national data on SRL distribution gathered by the Texas Access to Justice Commission: Nationwide 2009 survey by Self-Represented Litigation Network 60% judges reported increase in pro … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Research and Evalation, SRL Statistics | 1 Comment

California Daily Journal on Costs of Cutting Self-Help Programs

Posted on January 17, 2012 by richardzorza

The (California) Daily Journal, a legal publication, has a good story on the risk that cutting back on self-help services may end up costing more than it saves.  A good article to cite to. Just a few years ago, California … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget Issues, Court Management, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | Tagged | Comments Off on California Daily Journal on Costs of Cutting Self-Help Programs

California Courts Issue RFP for Evaluation of Shriver Project

Posted on January 16, 2012 by richardzorza

This is an important step for the evaluation of the access to counsel pilot passed by the California Legislature, and for which the first round of underlying program awards have already been made.  The RFP is here, and proposals are … Continue reading →

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Exciting Triage Progress at TIG Conference

Posted on January 15, 2012 by richardzorza

I am pleased to report that our sessions at the TIG Conference on Intake, Triage, and Technology were very successful. One session reviewed where we are now, with a focus on how court self-help centers decide who gets what help, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Aid, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change, Technology, Triage | 5 Comments

Access Impact of “Settlement Mills” in Auto Insurance Cases

Posted on January 4, 2012 by richardzorza

Nora Freeman Engstrom, an Assistant Professor at Stanford Law School has a fascinating article out in the New York University Law Review.  It deals with the largely unnoticed phenomenon of what she calls “settlement mills” in auto accident claims.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle Income, Research and Evalation, Transparency | Tagged | 1 Comment

Claudia Johnson blogs on “Legal Services Policy Research and the Elephant in the Room”

Posted on December 30, 2011 by richardzorza

In reading this blog and the American Bar Foundation in Access to Justice, recent report, and other literature, including health policy analysis, I think that as we call for more research about legal services, we need to be clear about … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical System Comparision, Research and Evalation, Systematic Change | 1 Comment

RAND Randomized Study of Murder Representation Shows Much Better Outcomes for Salaried Defenders Than Assigned Counsel

Posted on December 27, 2011 by richardzorza

A newly released report from RAND, summarized in a NYT editorial, reports radically better outcomes for public defender represented murder defendants that those assigned to a private lawyer. The Philadelphia study was randomized, removing most of the likely methodological objections.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Criminal Law, Mixed Model, Research and Evalation | Comments Off on RAND Randomized Study of Murder Representation Shows Much Better Outcomes for Salaried Defenders Than Assigned Counsel

Rothberger Conference Videos — Clear Explanation of Research and Implications

Posted on December 26, 2011 by richardzorza

Thanks to the University of Colorado Law School for posting the videos from the Rothgerber Conference last November. There’s lots of good stuff, but no one has time to watch hours and hours of video, so I would encourage you … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Research and Evalation | Tagged | Comments Off on Rothberger Conference Videos — Clear Explanation of Research and Implications