The Steering Committee of the New York Immigration Representation Study conducted an evaluation of the quality and quality of immigrant representation in New York. The Steering Committee was convened in 2010 by Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Court with the Vera Institute of Justice. They conducted a two-year study.
Population Served
Outcome Evaluation of justice AmeriCorps Legal Services Program
The Vera Institute of Justice to conduct a two-year evaluation of the justice AmeriCorps Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children (jAC) program. The researchers find that for unaccompanied children who receive legal representation through jAC, those children were more likely to obtain positive and successful outcomes than those without legal representation.
Improving the Protection and Fair Treatment of Unaccompanied Children: Recommendations for the Next Administration
This brief presents policy recommendations for the incoming administration, which range from improving border screening practices, improving shelter conditions, increasing access to legal counsel, expedited court procedures and impact on due process, adjudication of children’s immigration and asylum cases, and return and reintegration.
Expediting Permanency: Legal Representation for Foster Children in Palm Beach County
Researchers at the University of Chicago conducted an evaluation of a partnership between a legal aid organization and a social service provider for children. They find that when children are represented, they had a higher rate of exit to permanency (between 1.38 and 1.59 times faster). They also find that this program is cost effective.
Evaluation of the QIC-ChildRep Best Practices Model Training for Attorneys Representing Children in the Child Welfare System
This program evaluation of the QIC-ChildRep training for attorneys representing children in child welfare cases finds that children assigned to attorneys who underwent the intervention’s training were more likely to experience permanency within 6 months when compared to attorneys who did not participate in the intervention. Attorneys who participated in the intervention met with their child client more frequently, spend more time on cases, contacted more parties, spent more time developing the theory of the case, and had more contact with foster parents and substitute caregivers.
Disasters in Rural California: The Impact on Access to Justice
This report analyzes how disasters have disproportionately struck rural parts of California. These areas often have higher poverty rates than urban ones, and are typically the slowest to recover from disasters. During disaster and recovery, low-and modest-means communities often do not have access to legal remedies, meaning that recovery is often uneven. This report outlines how legal aid and pro bono assistance help residents in areas of housing, consumer issues, employment, insurance, public benefits, replacing vital records and documents, and accessing FEMA benefits.
Report of the Summit on the Use of Technology to Expand Access to Justice
The 51 attendees at the technology summit issued developed a strategy to implement the the use of technology to help with: document assembly for self-represented litigants; better “triage”—that is, identification of the most appropriate form of service for clients in light of the totality of their circumstances; mobile technologies; remote service delivery; expert systems and checklists; and unbundled services.
Clearing a Path to Justice: A Report of the Maryland Judiciary Work Group on Self-Representation in the Maryland Courts
This report outlines the work group’s efforts and study on self-represented litigants in Maryland. It provides an overview of the current efforts, initiatives, and recommendations on how to aid self-represented litigants, enhance the response of court staff, enhance the judicial response, support improvements in the legal services delivery system, and create an access to justice commission.
A 108% return on investment: The Economic Impact to the State of North Carolina of Civil Legal Services in 2012
The work of three civil legal services providers across North Carolina generated $48,775,276 in economic impact in 2012.
California’s Attorney Deserts: Access to Justice Implications of the Rural Lawyer Shortage
In this study, the California Commission on Access to Justice reports on attorney deserts — places where there are too few attorneys and high numbers of unmet legal needs. They find that attorney deserts are an acute problem in rural areas. This is not a problem concentrated in California — in the US, approximately 2 percent of small law practices are in rural places, serving approximately 20 percent of the US population.
Legal Aid Research 