Research
Exploring where law, society and culture meet.
For over 70 years, we’ve conducted rigorous, groundbreaking research used worldwide to help ensure that the law embodies principles like dignity, fairness and justice.
Learning and Practicing Law
Advancing research on legal education and practice, the ABF investigates how the law is practiced both in legal and non-legal settings, including a focus on legal careers and the evolving paths of legal professionals.
Protecting Rights and Accessing Justice
Innovative research through the ABF examines the roles that laws have around the world, with a special focus on protecting vital rights and the ways that people from different communities can access the justice system.
Making and Implementing Law
The ABF analyzes the diverse ways laws are created and practiced in the U.S. and around the world, not just by legal professionals, but also by those who enforce the law and put it into action.
Recent Research Publications
Displaying 12 Results Out of 311
- Reports
Research Brief: Rural Access to Justice: Key Research Learnings and Implications for Service Design and Delivery
2026
Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett, and James Teufel
- Reports
Analysis of the Social and Economic Impact of Delaware Qualified Tenant Advocates
2026
Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett, and James Teufel
- Reports
Research Brief: Analysis of the Social and Economic Impact of the Alaska Community Justice Worker Program
2025
Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett, and James Teufel
- Chapters
Justice Futures: Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work
2025
Rebecca L. Sandefur and Matthew Burnett
- Articles
Justice Work as Democracy Work: Reimagining Access to Justice as Democratization
2025
Matthew Burnett and Rebecca L. Sandefur
- Reports
State of the Art in Civil Legal Needs Surveys: A Comparative Perspective
2025
Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett, and James Teufel
- Articles
Building Successful Justice Worker Programs: Emerging Insights from Research and Practice
2025
Matthew Burnett and Rebecca L. Sandefur
- Articles
A People-Centered Approach to Designing and Evaluating Community Justice Worker Programs in the United States
2024
Rebecca L. Sandefur and Matthew Burnett
- Reports
Access to Justice Research as a Tool for Advancing Federal Priorities
2024
James Teufel, Rebecca L. Sandefur, and Matthew Burnett
- Reports
People-Centered Access to Justice Research: A Global Perspective
2023
Matthew Burnett, Rebecca L. Sandefur, and Julia Dos Santos Drummond
- Articles
All Together Now: Building a Shared Access to Justice Research Framework for Theoretical Insight and Actionable Intelligence
2023
Rebecca L. Sandefur and Matthew Burnett
- Articles
Designing Just Solutions at Scale: Lawyerless Legal Services and Evidence-Based Regulation
2022
Matthew Burnett and Rebecca L. Sandefur