Expanding the Empirical Study of Access to Justice

Abstract

Access to Justice (A2J) research is in the midst of a renaissance. A new crop of evaluation studies have joined a broader body of contemporary research investigating the delivery of legal services and public experience with civil justice. A growing number of stakeholders regard this new research with serious interest.Like any renaissance, to be fruitful this one must include important rediscoveries alongside theoretical and empirical innovations. At this moment of tremendous promise and opportunity, we call for an expansive research agenda drawing on what we already know from more than thirty years of sociolegal research. We call for a research agenda that steps back from lawyers and legal institutions to explore not only whether existing policies are effective, but also how current definitions and understandings of access to justice may blind policy makers to more radical, but potentially more effective, solutions.

Keywords: Access to Justice, Civil Justice, Empirical Research, Sociolegal Studies

JEL Classification: K40