Researchers present a case study of one medical-legal partnership at three pediatric primary care centers. They find that referrals were often for housing and income/health benefits. Of the cases referred to the legal service side of the MLP, 89 percent of them had positive outcomes.
National
Final Report of the Impact of Legal Representation on Child Custody Decisions Among Families with a History of Intimate Partner Violence Study
This study tested whether legal representation of DV victim in child custody decisions leads to greater protections and visitation decisions when compared to those who are not represented. When individuals had legal representation, in comparison to those who did not have legal representation but who qualified for legal aid, the DV victim was 85 percent more likely to have denied visitation to the abusing parent and 77 percent more likely to have restrictions placed on the abusing parent’s visitation (if granted at all).
Erasing the mark of a criminal past: Ex-offenders’ expectations and experiences with record clearance
Adams and colleagues conducted interviews with 40 individuals who had criminal records. Those who were able to get their record cleared from their records reported as if they had a new identity and the record clearing facilitated their reintegration.
Effective Child Support Policy for Low-Income Families: Evidence from Street Level Research
Waller and Plotnick perform a content analysis on qualitative research that studied how low-income parents interact with the child support system. They find that low-income parents prefer informal arrangements of child support over formal ones and do not comply with the support orders if they perceive them to be unfair, counterproductive, or punitive.
Medical-Legal Strategies to Improve Infant Health Care: A Randomized Trial
This study on medical-legal partnerships find that when parents have access to legal services, they are more likely to complete their child’s immunization schedule on time (p<0.01) at six and eight months. Further, those infants were more likely to have routine preventative care visits.
Comprehensive Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking: Findings From Clients in Three Communities
Researchers at the Urban Institute conducted interviews with survivors of human trafficking and social service providers. They find a large unmet need for legal services.
Debt Relief and Debtor Outcomes: Measuring the Effects of Consumer Bankruptcy Protection
Researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed 500,000 bankruptcy filings. They find that chapter 13 protection increases earnings, decreases mortality, and decreases foreclosure rates. When individuals are no longer followed by their debt, they experience several positive externalities.
Addressing Social Determinants Of Health Through Medical-Legal Partnerships
Researchers at the National Center for Medical Legal Partnerships published a primer on the components of medical-legal partnerships and how they can address the intersections between health, social, and environmental issues. There are more than 300 MLPs nationally and they analyze the shared components of each.
Expanding Access to Justice with Social Impact Financing
Social Finance, a nonprofit that specializes in Pay for Success (PFS) models, conducted a study about how PFS could be used to scale effective legal aid programs. To do this, they conducted an assessment of the legal aid landscape, the evidence base, the capacity to scale, and the potential for public-private partnerships.
Special Issue Introduction: Immigrants and the Family Court
In this article, Theo Liebman and Lauris Wren, take stock of the landscape of the intersection between immigration and family law. They present what we know about immigration and family court, what we need to know, and implications for family lawyers and judges.
Legal Aid Research 