This essay explores how policymakers and other public-interested actors have empirically calculated the benefits of providing low-income access to legal services in the past, and how they might improve upon existing methods going forward. The author reviews, criticizes, and tries to build on two major civil justice needs studies, one published by LSC in 2005 and the other by the ABA in 1994.
How Provided
In Pursuit of Justice? Case Outcomes and the Delivery of Unbundled Legal Services
This non-randomized study tracked and compared outcomes for tenants facing eviction in a single California trial court, all of whom received unbundled help drafting a responsive pleading. The provision of unbundled legal services had no measurable impact on ultimate outcomes.
The Impact of Legal Aid Services on Economic Activity in Texas: An Analysis of Current Efforts and Expansion Potential
Legal aid inherently has societal value, but it is also a prudent use of state resources from a pragmatic, economic perspective.
How Effective Are Limited Legal Assistance Programs? A Randomized Experiment in a Massachusetts Housing Court
This article reports the findings of a randomized control trial comparing the effectiveness of two alternative programs of legal representation for occupants of housing units in parts of the Massachusetts North Shore.
Explaining the Recent Decline in Domestic Violence
The decline in intimate partner abuse from 1993 to 1998 has three significant causes, one of which is the increased provision of legal services for victims of intimate partner abuse. This is a widely cited study.
Agenda for Access: The American People and Civil Justice
A report by the ABA discussing the results of the ABA’s Comprehensive Legal Needs Survey (CLNS) completed in 1993. The new report sounds the alarm that the civil justice system of the US is fundamentally disconnected from the lives of millions of Americans.
Economic Impact of Civil Legal Aid Services in Maryland
Civil legal services programs in Maryland significantly boost the state’s economy each year by bringing in millions of federal dollars, improving the lives of low-income Marylanders, and saving the State millions in expenditures.
Legal Hotlines Client Outcome Study 2006
Clients of seven legal hotlines located in Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Maryland and Connecticut, were surveyed to determine if providing telephone legal advice helped with consumer and public benefits cases, and whether hotlines need more technical support.
The Hotline Outcomes Assessment Study, Phase III (2002)
The study generated representative samples of callers at five legal services hotlines in AR, CA, IL, MI and WA, conducted phone interviews with 2,034 callers three to six months later and involved experienced lawyers in the evaluation. This is a follow-on to an earlier study.
Pro Bono: Looking Back, Moving Forward
This study examines the causes of stagnation and decline in pro bono legal services in the state of Florida during the early 2000s.
Legal Aid Research 