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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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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.
Learn More
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Featured Story

ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholar Michele Statz Awarded NSF CIVIC Grant to Improve Access to Justice for Rural and Indigenous Communities in Alaska

October 17, 2022
Michele Statz, photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Medical School ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholar and Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School … Read More
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

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… Read More about ABF’s Access to Justice Researchers Join in $1 Million Grant from the National Science Foundation
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

Brittany Friedman and The Captive Money Lab Co-Founders Receive 1.5 Million Dollars in Funding from Arnold Ventures

May 25, 2023
ABF Affiliated Scholar and former ABF/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Program Scholar Brittany Friedman has received 1.5 million dollars from Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to supporting evidence-based policy research projects… Read More about Brittany Friedman and The Captive Money Lab Co-Founders Receive 1.5 Million Dollars in Funding from Arnold Ventures
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  • Access To Justice
  • News

ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholars Programs Selects Six New Scholars for its 2023-24 Cohort

March 17, 2023
The ABF/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Scholars Program is proud to announce the 2023-24 cohort of Faculty Scholars. From diverse backgrounds, each brings expertise to further the program’s core mission: generating… Read More about ABF/JPB Access to Justice Scholars Programs Selects Six New Scholars for its 2023-24 Cohort
Read More Access To Justice News:

Access To Justice Staff

Rebecca Sandefur

Rebecca Sandefur

Faculty Fellow

Matthew Burnett

Matthew Burnett

Senior Program Officer

Elizabeth Mucha Headshot

Elizabeth Mucha

Program Manager

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