When it comes to obtaining a divorce, pro se litigants face significant obstacles, stemming primarily from financial challenges. Without a lawyer, many are ill equipped to undertake the complex paperwork, waiting periods, and logistical hurdles that come with filing for divorce. This first of two divorce study episodes of Proof Over Precedent introduces the randomized controlled trial the A2J Lab undertook to determine how effective pro bono matching services are in providing access to justice for low-income individuals.

Listen to Episode 25: Legal Labyrinths Reveal Divorce Filing Woes

Read the corresponding blog post.

Speakers:

• Jim Greiner, Honorable S. William Green Professor of Public Law at Harvard Law School; Faculty Director of the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
• Roseanna Sommers, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Michigan
• Tom Ferriss, data scientist, Google

Resources mentioned:

• “Trapped in Marriage”, SSRN
• “Using random assignment to measure court accessibility for low-income divorce seekers”, PNAS
• “Divorce in Philadelphia County” brochure
• Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, Family Division Local Rules

Share feedback and relevant topics you would like the A2J Lab to discuss: a2jlab@law.harvard.edu

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Proof Over Precedent cover art by Courtney Chrystal