Knowledge powers the pursuit of justice.
- News
August 12, 2025
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has appointed Natacha Nsabimana and Alana Ackerman, both scholars in anthropology, to join its community as Research Professors beginning fall 2025. These scholars will join a robust community of researchers advancing understandings of law and society through empirical and interdisciplinary research. … Read More
American Bar Foundation
We conduct research that explores the intersection of
law and society—to expand knowledge and advance justice.
Our groundbreaking research is used to:
Spark conversations
about the world's
most pressing issues
most pressing issues
Shape law and policy
by informing lawmakers,
practitioners, and the judiciary
practitioners, and the judiciary
Influence societies
in the U.S. and
across the world
across the world
Featured Research
In the News
- News
The ABF Announces 2025-26 Visiting Scholars
September 2, 2025
The American Bar Foundation is pleased to welcome seven Visiting Scholars to the ABF research community. The scholars of the 2025-26 cohort are: Portia Jin Xiong, Rashmee Singh, William Darwall, Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, Joachim Savelsberg, Kasey Henricks, and Katheryn Birks Harvey. The ABF’s Visiting Scholar Program invites scholars from… Read More
- News
The ABF Welcomes Swethaa Ballakrishnen as the 2025-26 William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law
September 2, 2025
Swethaa Ballakrishnen has been named the William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law for the 2025-26 academic year, beginning September 1. Ballakrishnen is the Dean for Faculty Research and Development and a Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. They also hold… Read More
- News
The American Bar Foundation Announces 2025-26 Cohort of Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows
August 12, 2025
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has awarded doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships to six exceptional scholars. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, these scholars were chosen for their impressive empirical and interdisciplinary research proposals in law and social science. The research of these doctoral and postdoctoral fellows focuses on… Read More
Featured Events
September 17, 2025
Sociology and Law, The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Law’s (Com)Promises: McGirt, The Settler Carceral State, and Abolition Geographies in Indian Country
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Upcoming Events
More
Criminal Justice and Criminology, Loyola University Chicago; Criminal Justice, Governors State University
Skyscraper Jails in New York City
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Sociology and Law, The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Law’s (Com)Promises: McGirt, The Settler Carceral State, and Abolition Geographies in Indian Country
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Featured Researcher
Stephen Daniels
ABF Research Professor Emeritus
Stephen Daniels is a Research Professor Emeritus at the American Bar Foundation. His ABF research project, Alternative Legal Professionals, examines legal technician programs, which license non-lawyers to practice certain aspects of law in a limited capacity with the goal of expanding access to legal services at a more affordable cost. In this feature, Daniels discusses how this concept emerged, spread, and continues to evolve across multiple states.
- Podcasts
Episode 8: Season One Finale: When Law Meets Society
The season finale of Season 1 of Whose Law is it Anyway explores the impact of ABF's research with former Executive Director, Ajay K. Mehrotra.
- Videos
Shaping the Future of Sociolegal Research: ABF Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships
Watch to learn more about the ABF Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships.