Proof Over Precedent

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Rogers hearings allow Massachusetts judges to approve treatment plans for involuntarily committed individuals, but the process is criticized for its inefficiency and 99% approval rate. What if procedural reforms could improve outcomes? Replacing district court judges with administrative law judges to oversee hearings and substituting p...

In this "Student Voices" episode of Proof Over Precedent, HLS student Aarushi Solanki discusses involuntary commitment laws for psychiatric patients in Massachusetts, where the process of holding separate commitment and treatment hearings winds up denying patients access to timely treatment.

Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Can the presence of legal counsel at a criminal justice defendant’s first court hearing transform their journey through the justice system? Two Texas counties examined this possibility in a now-completed A2J Lab study. Director Jim Greiner hosts fellow A2J Lab researcher Renee Danser and Texas A&M researchers George Nafault and Bethany...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Access to justice via government websites should mean ease of digital access to information. But what if your simple search on filing for a restraining order returned lists of forms in legalese or 37 pages of links to weed through for the appropriate form? In this Student Voices episode of Proof Over Precedent, J.D. candidate Spencer T...

Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Early this year, the A2J Lab was expanding globally for the first time, bringing its mission to study access to justice to both Kenya and Tunisia — and just about half-way through its study — when a federal stop-work order abruptly shut down the project. In this episode of Proof Over Precedent, we have no study results to report about the p...

Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School More bankruptcy cases were filed in 2024 than all other civil cases in federal court combined – a factor that should make access to the bankruptcy filing process a priority in the U.S., HLS student Joe Liberman argues in this Student Voices podcast. Part II of this series discusses potential reforms, including changing attorney fee structur...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Is the financial reset system too difficult to navigate? In this “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent, HLS J.D. candidate Joe Liberman discusses the complexities and accessibility issues associated with “no-money-down” bankruptcy filings that often hurt the people who can least afford these particular filings. Closer scruti...

Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School A recently launched A2J Lab study examines the effectiveness of an education and community resource-focused program at reducing recidivism among low-level offenders. The program has been in practice for seven years in Toledo, Ohio, but has not yet been studied thoroughly. In this episode of Proof Over Precedent, the A2J Lab’s Renee Danser d...

In this “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent, HLS J.D. candidate Rachel Barkin discusses the challenges faced by pro se litigants in complying with civil procedure rules. While interpretation of legal language may be an obstacle, she argues that "deployability" is the more significant hurdle for self-represented litigants.

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School In this Proof Over Precedent episode, the third show in the ‘Demystifying IRBs’ series, host Jim Greiner meets with IRB expert Shannon Sewards to answer the tricky question: Who counts as a ‘human subject’? Medical fields can easily point to human subjects in their research; but in social sciences, the definition relies heavily on fede...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School This “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent discusses the critical need for providing legal representation in civil cases—particularly those in which an individual’s home, family, or safety is at risk. While the right to counsel already extends to criminal cases in both federal and state courts, it does not currently extend t...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School This “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent discusses the critical need for providing legal representation in civil cases—particularly those in which an individual’s home, family, or safety is at risk. While the right to counsel already extends to criminal cases in both federal and state courts, it does not currently extend t...

Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School In this episode of Proof Over Precedent, host Jim Greiner talks with the A2J Lab’s Renee Danser about the recently completed pilot study referred to as the “Eviction Diversion Study.” The study aimed to combat housing security by providing legal information and resources to at-risk populations in the Houston area via text messaging. Ultimat...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School In this “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent, HLS student Andrew Reed explores how the legal profession could benefit from adopting data-driven, evidence-based practices similar to those in medicine. The episode examines the historical transformation of medicine from tradition-based to science-based and discusses key lesson...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School In this second episode in the Proof Over Precedent series on demystifying the institutional review board process in law, host Jim Greiner speaks again with IRB expert Shannon Sewards, this time to define human subjects research and differentiate it from medical research. The pair delve into: The nuances of human subjects research in le...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School In this “Student Voices” episode of Proof Over Precedent, HLS student Joe Lieberman interviews classmate Andrew Reed on the implications of courthouse cell phone bans on access to justice, particularly as it relates to self-represented litigants. Though intended to maintain courtroom order and security, the bans often create more heada...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) watch over human subjects research to ensure ethical compliance. Ubiquitous in medical research, IRBs may still baffle those working in legal research. This week, in the first of a series of podcast talks demystifying IRBs, Proof Over Precedent host Jim Greiner talks with IRB expert Shannon Sewards ab...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Does the medium of family law cases — online or in-person — factor into procedural justice and the satisfaction of litigants in these cases? In this episode, A2J Lab Associate Director Renee Danser talks with Jim Greiner, faculty director of the A2J Lab, about a study nearing completion, including: What led one court system to seek an...

STUDENT VOICES: The views expressed are those of the student podcasters and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Access to Justice Lab. Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Hypothetical situation (that was real for at least one person): You’re issued a traffic ticket requiring appearance in a courthouse 400 miles away from your home. Do you a) absorb the travel costs...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Failure to appear in criminal cases can lead defendants to jail time, draining resources from police, courts, and taxpayer dollars. But according to Alissa Fishbane, managing director at ideas42, a nonprofit think tank, the solution may be cheaper and easier than expected. A2J Lab Faculty Director Jim Greiner spoke with Fishbane in thi...

STUDENT VOICES: The views expressed are those of the student podcasters and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Access to Justice Lab. Image by Felicia Quan, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School Harvard Law School student Julia Saltzman leads a Student Voices episode of Proof Over Precedent to discuss legal information programs amid immigration court proceedings for unrepresented noncitiz...

STUDENT VOICES: The views expressed are those of the student podcasters and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Access to Justice Lab. Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School With a growing backlog of deportation cases, overwhelmed U.S. immigration courts are struggling to deliver due process. In this first Student Voices podcast episode of Proof Over Precedent ,...

Image by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School This episode looks into the OpenJustice project, a study combining access to justice and artificial intelligence. It’s just a year in development but already moving relatively quickly through its randomized control trial. A2J Lab Faculty Director Jim Greiner spoke with Mandy Mobley Li, Assistant Director of Research Innovations at the...

This episode offers a mid-study update on a decades-long randomized control trial, unofficially referred to as the “Child Welfare” project. Proof Over Precedent host and Access to Justice Lab Director Jim Greiner interviews Project Director Renee Danser about the study, which evaluates whether families with children who face poverty-related legal and social challenges can avoid unnecessary entries...

This episode introduces listeners to the Proof Over Precedent podcast and the work of the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. The lab focuses on bringing empirical research into the legal field for both civil and criminal justice systems. Professor Jim Greiner shares plans for future episodes to address randomized control trials conducted by the lab and its research partners; ethical issu...