From ABF Access to Justice Research Initiative:
This report reviews key insights and knowledge generated from the last 30 years of legal needs surveys in the United States and other countries. During this time, there have been more than 250 legal needs studies conducted in 110 countries and jurisdictions. These surveys have been funded by a variety of sources, including governments, private philanthropy, and international development agencies. A comparative view of these surveys shows increasing substantive and technical sophistication regarding the structure and type of questions asked, the length of surveys, sample sizes, and data collection methods, among other key aspects of survey design, implementation, and analysis. For example, surveys have moved away from a lawyer and court-centered justice perspective and toward a people-centered perspective. This shift highlights the importance of identifying both formal and informal sources of help due to the now well-founded understanding that people often do not perceive justiciable events as legal needs. They therefore do not often seek help from lawyers or courts to resolve their justice problems. Research also supports a significant shift in our understanding of justiciable events and legal needs over the past decade. The field is moving away from a narrow approach of justice focused primarily on formal legal systems and institutions. A people-centered approach reflects the diversity of people’s justice experiences, legal needs, and legal capabilities.