Research that Advances Justice

Since 1952, the American Bar Foundation (ABF) has sought to expand knowledge and advance justice. To achieve this mission, the ABF studies the most critical issues in the legal community and harnesses the power of innovative empirical research to guide change. The ABF is an internationally recognized source of research that is used in the legal profession, the academy, and society.

A residential research faculty and over 50 affiliated scholars design and conduct ABF research projects. These faculty come from across the nation and the world from many disciplines, including , , , , , , and . ABF researchers serve as intellectual leaders and respected experts in several fields of law and social science. The ABF is source for sound research, using empirical scholarship informing the context for discussions of policy problems, analysis, and advocacy. The ABF organizes research projects within three inter-connected pillars of activity: dvances Justice

Learning and Protecting Rights, Making and Practicing Law Accessing Justice Implementing Law Recent ABF research findings have shown:

• Law school enrollment has declined by almost 25 percent since the Great Recession a decade ago. • Since the Great Recession, Asian American enrollment has declined more steeply than any other group. • Most law schools are heavily tuition-dependent for operating revenue, and for one-quarter of them, 88 percent comes from tuition. • Most lawyers who passed the bar in 2000 are satisfied with their cticing Law decision to become a lawyer. • Full-time women attorneys still earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. • While Latinx people make up 17 percent of the U.S. population, they only comprise 5 percent of practicing lawyers, 2 percent of law firm partners, and 7 percent of judges. • Bias in the legal workplace is widespread and often explicit: 50%of Learning and Pra African American women, 30% of white women, 42% of African American men, and 29% of LGBTQ men report workplace discrimination.

• Experience with civil justice situations is common and widespread, affecting all segments of the population.

• Most civil justice situations never involve contact with an attorney or court because Americans do not understand their problems to be legal ones or consider law as a solution.

• People are least likely to consult attorneys about problems involving personal finances, housing, healthcare, employment, and community needs.

• Although more than three hundred digital legal tools exist to assist non-lawyers with criminal and civil justice problems, many people who need the tools most lack the resources and capabilities to use them. Protecting Rights, Accessing Justice Protecting Rights, Accessing Justice Research thatd A v • Neighborhoods with high incarceration rates had lower voter turnout – living in a neighborhood at the highest level of imprisonment decreased the likelihood of voting by 73.4 percent. • During periods of heightened unemployment, increased gun violence may be a growing risk in American college and university settings. • Employment civil rights litigation entrenches patterns of discrimination in and out of the workplace, as plaintiffs who file legal charges experience substantial challenges, including: o Mistreatment by colleagues and management o Difficulty securing legal representation o Extensive personal and financial burdens – including job loss • When asked to testify in lawsuits, most scientists and engineers agreed to participate, more often for educational and moral reasons than financial. If they refused, it was mainly because they lacked the time or relevant scientific expertise

• Medical advance directives often fail because instructions are ignored or misunderstood. For nearly 50 percent of patients with advance directives in their hospital record, the directives made no discernible Making and I mplementing Law difference in ensuring that decisions were consistent with these preferences. • At present, given the limitations of advance directives, the best action for potential future patients is to hold ongoing conversations with a designated family member who will be aware of the patient’s wishes and honor them. • Early childhood interventions (ages 0–5) with disadvantaged children can: o Lower the crime rate o Reduce the achievement gap o Reduce teen pregnancy o Reduce the need for special education • High-quality birth-to-five programs for disadvantaged children can deliver a 13 percent yearly return on investment and better outcomes in education, health, and economic productivity. • Democracies typically decline through either authoritarian collapse or democratic erosion. Countries can uphold better democratic values by drawing on historical lessons and recent experiences of democratic decline worldwide. Learning and Practicing Law Protecting Rights, Accessing Justice Making and Implementing Law

The American Bar Foundation 750 North Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor , IL 60611 Ph: 312-988-6500 • Fax: 312-988-6619 • Email: [email protected] americanbarfoundation.org

For citations and source material, please visit americanbarfoundation.org

Primary funding for the ABF is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in ABF publications are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Bar Foundation or the American Bar Association. The AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION, ABF and related seal trademarks as used by the American Bar Foundation are owned by the American Bar Association and used under license.