Proof Over Precedent - Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

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**Proof Over Precedent – Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School**

The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School discusses the work of bringing credible evidence to lawyers, judges, and decision makers, to transform the U.S. justice system into an evidence-based field. We bring you weekly one-on-one interviews with experts in the area of access to justice — researchers, lawyers, professors, law students, data analysts, research participants, and anyone who has an interesting role in this growing area.

Latest Episodes:

Cartoon depicting non-lawyer legal services in agency immigration litigation — **Episode 3: Can Non-Lawyers Offer Relief and Expertise in Deportation Cases?** Jun 30, 2025
Show notes

***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**, Harvard Law School student Michael Pusic proposes a possible solution for the 86% of immigrants detained without a lawyer: Enable non-lawyers with specialized training and experience to represent individuals facing deportation. It’s passed observational tests; now, he says, it’s time for a randomized control trial.

Read the corresponding blog post.

Speakers:

Michael Pusic, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School

Laura Aquino, J.D. candidate. Harvard Law School

Resources mentioned:

Catholic Charities

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, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School

Cartoon depicting pro bono attorneys getting legal information and advice from AI — **Episode 2: Should AI Dole Out Legal Advice to Lawyers?** Jun 23, 2025
Show notes
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 A2J Lab, about project developments and addressing the question: Will AI help improve attorney/staff conversations with clients?

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

Mandy Mobley Li, Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

Resources mentioned:

Conflict Analytics Lab at Queens University

Pro Bono Ontario

Insight Grants, awarded by Canada’s Social Science and Humanities Research Council

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

Stay connected with the Access to Justice Lab:

Email newsletter

BlueSky

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

Support the A2J

Proof Over Precedent cover art by Courtney Chrystal, J.D. candidate, Harvard Law School

Cartoon reflecting whether legal services can help families avoid child welfare involvement — **Episode 1: Could Holistic Legal Services Help Families Avoid the Child Welfare System?** Jun 16, 2025
Show notes

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 into the child welfare system with the assistance of holistic legal services – a combination of social worker services and a traditional attorney-client relationship. Listen now.

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

**Renee L. Danser**, Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

Resources mentioned:

Arnold Ventures

Duke Endowment

University of South Carolina School of Law’s “CHAMPS” Clinic (Carolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership)

Kansas Holistic Defenders

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

Stay connected with the Access to Justice Lab:

Email newsletter

Facebook

BlueSky

LinkedIn

YouTube

Support the A2J

Proof Over Precedent cover art by Courtney Chrystal

Episode 0: Get to Know Us Again Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

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 issues around RCT trials; challenges of the legal system as it currently operates; the future of legal reform, including AI in legal processes; and student takes on access to justice.

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
Michelle Blouin, Communications Associate, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

Resources mentioned: