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Home > Access to Justice Research Initiative

Access to Justice Research Initiative

Since the founding of the American Bar Foundation, ABF scholars have been deeply engaged with fundamental questions of access to justice.

The Access to Justice Research Initiative is a dynamic hub for innovative empirical research and programs that bridge the divide between access to civil justice scholarship and practice in the United States and around the world.

Led by ABF Faculty Fellow and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca L. Sandefur, the Initiative aims to develop and raise the profile of the field of access to civil justice, supporting empirical scholars through the ABF/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Scholars Program and identifying and developing global research and data on people-centered justice through the Justice Data Observatory.

The Access to Justice Research Initiative also produces original research and scholarship that informs our basic understanding of law and legal processes and serves as a resource for civil justice researchers, policy makers, and service providers as they seek to respond to the legal needs of the public today.

The ABF/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Scholars Program

The ABF/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Scholars Program brings together small cohorts of faculty scholars to support their research, mentor their progress, and foster the relationships between research, policy, and practice needed to grow the access to justice field.
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ABF/JPB Access to Justice Research Initiative Early Career Workshop

The Access to Justice Research Initiative Early Career Workshop, supported by the JPB Foundation, invites early-stage researchers focused on civil justice to apply. Participants will join the ABF/JPB Access to Justice scholar community, receiving mentorship, professional development, and scholarly feedback. The program includes monthly virtual meetings for peer feedback and discussions on relevant professional development topics.
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Justice Data Observatory

The Justice Data Observatory (JDO) works to identify and develop a collective global research and data agenda on people-centered justice, with key participation by researchers and practitioners in the Global South.
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Access To Justice Research

The Access to Justice Research Initiative produces new knowledge and scholarship that informs our basic understanding of law and legal processes and serves as a resource for policy makers and service providers as they seek to respond to the legal needs of the public today.
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Featured Story

ABF’s Access to Justice Researchers Join in $1 Million Grant from the National Science Foundation

September 21, 2023
Michele Statz, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, Matthew Burnett, Senior Program Officer for the Access to Justice Research Initiative at the American Bar Foundation; and Nikole Nelson, Executive Director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC), received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part… Read More
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

The ABF Access to Justice Research Initiative Launches Early Career Workshop with First Cohort of Scholars

September 12, 2024
The American Bar Foundation’s (ABF) Access to Justice Research Initiative is a hub for innovative research that connects access to civil justice scholarship, policy, and practice. It aims to advance… Read More about The ABF Access to Justice Research Initiative Launches Early Career Workshop with First Cohort of Scholars
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

The ABF Access to Justice Research Initiative Hosts Research Conference with Wayne State University Law School

May 17, 2024
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) Access to Justice Research Initiative is a dynamic hub for innovative empirical research and programs that bridge the divide between access to civil justice scholarship… Read More about The ABF Access to Justice Research Initiative Hosts Research Conference with Wayne State University Law School
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

The ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholars Program Chooses Five New Scholars for its 2024-25 Cohort

April 17, 2024
The American Bar Foundation’s (ABF) Access to Justice Research Initiative, founded by ABF Faculty Fellow and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Sandefur, is proud to announce the 2024-25 cohort of ABF/JPB Foundation… Read More about The ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholars Program Chooses Five New Scholars for its 2024-25 Cohort
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