The Legal Education Foundation is a grant making trust that promotes legal education to help people better understand and use the law. This information is drawn from the study ‘How People Understand and Interact with the Law,’ in 2015. Their analysis is based on 4,000 interviews conducted for the English and Welsh Civil & Social Justice Panel Survey (CSJPS) in 2010 and 2012.
Housing
San Mateo County Eviction Report
This report is an analysis of 3,145 eviction cases handled by the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto over a three-year period. The data provides the first attempt to evaluate eviction activity in San Mateo County on a wide scale.
Evaluation of the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act (AB590) Housing Pilot Projects
This report evaluated the Sargent Shriver pilot projects, which provided representation to individuals involved child custody, guardianship, and housing cases. They find that having legal representation in each of these areas correlates with positive outcomes for the client.
Environmental Improvements Brought by Legal Interventions in the Homes of Poorly Controlled Inner-City Adult Asthmatic Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Study
This study investigates how legal assistance improves physical housing conditions. O’Sullivan finds that when legal aid can address some of the underlying housing conditions — such as mold and mice — emergency department use drops and medication necessary is reduced.
Needs of Homeless Veterans: 5 Years of the CHALENG Survey 2012-16
Researchers find that the needs of homeless veterans has remained relatively consistent through the last five years of the CHALENG survey, pointing to the long-term needs of homeless veterans. At the top of the list is the need for legal assistance.
Economic Return on Investment of Providing Counsel in Philadelphia Eviction Cases for Low-Income Tenants
In this economic return on investment study of providing legal counsel for those in eviction cases, Stout Risius Ross found that establishing a right to counsel would help the city avoid $45.2 million in costs annually, while the total cost to provide representation is $3.5 million. They analyzed docket data to assess the impact representation would have on the outcome of an eviction case. They analyzed the distribution of outcomes, the incremental impact of representation, and a repeat case analysis.
Legal Aid Society of Columbus: Tenant Advocacy Project Evaluation
Legal Aid Society of Columbus had Thoughtwell, a nonpartisan think tank, conduct a project evaluation of the Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP). The project evaluation finds that legal services provided through TAP had a significant positive effect on housing outcomes for their clients.
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.
A Test of Unbundled Legal Services in the New York City Housing Court
The study finds that the Volunteer Lawyer for the Day Program is a feasible and useful approach to alleviate the overwhelming unmet legal needs of New York City Housing Court litigants.
Legal Aid Research 