Home - Civil Justice Research Initiative

Too often, the courthouse doors are closed to those who have suffered serious injuries and violations of their rights. By emphasizing rigorous scholarship and thorough research, the Civil Justice Research Initiative can make a real difference in access to the American justice system.
Dean Erwin ChemerinskyUC Berkeley School of Law

Too often, the courthouse doors are closed to those who have suffered serious injuries and violations of their rights. By emphasizing rigorous scholarship and thorough research, the Civil Justice Research Initiative can make a real difference in access to the American justice system.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
UC Berkeley School of Law

Dramatic changes to the civil justice system threaten to undermine our rights as citizens. By documenting these changes and exploring their consequences, the Civil Justice Research Initiative will strengthen civil justice in the United States.
Valerie HansProfessor of Law, Cornell Law School

Dramatic changes to the civil justice system threaten to undermine our rights as citizens. By documenting these changes and exploring their consequences, the Civil Justice Research Initiative will strengthen civil justice in the United States.

Valerie Hans
Professor of Law, Cornell Law School

The fair and impartial administration of justice is the bedrock of our democracy. Without access to courts, the fundamental rights afforded by our Constitution may be stripped away. The work of CJRI will provide judges, lawyers and policymakers a sound basis for decision-making.
Roman M. Silberfeld National Trial Chair, Robins Kaplan LLP

The fair and impartial administration of justice is the bedrock of our democracy. Without access to courts, the fundamental rights afforded by our Constitution may be stripped away. The work of CJRI will provide judges, lawyers and policymakers a sound basis for decision-making.

Roman M. Silberfeld
National Trial Chair, Robins Kaplan LLP

The Civil Justice Research
Initiative explores, through interdisciplinary, academically-based
and independent research, how the civil justice system can be made
more available to everyone seeking relief.

107

Rank of the United States among 142 countries in “accessibility and affordability of civil justice.”¹

92%

Percentage of civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans for which they received inadequate or no legal help.²

74%

Percentage of low-income households that have experienced 1+ civil legal problem in the past year.³

Tara Sutton

In Memoriam

The Berkeley Civil Justice Research Initiative mourns the loss of CJRI Advisory Board member and friend Tara Sutton, who passed away after a brief illness on September 20, 2026.

Tara was a longtime supporter of independent research on the civil justice system and deeply committed to access to justice. She was an important and valued advisor to CJRI Executive Director Anne Bloom and CJRI Founding Chair Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

Our deepest sympathies are with her family, friends, and colleagues. We miss her very much.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: AI and Evidence: Proposed Rule 707

A new CJRI white paper by Benjamin Tietjen and Stephen J. Herman examines proposed Federal Rule of Evidence 707. The rule would require AI-generated evidence offered without an expert witness to meet the same reliability standards that apply to expert testimony under Rule 702. The report explains how the current rules treat AI-generated evidence, how the proposed rule would work, and the main debates from the public comment period: whether the rule is needed now, what it should cover, and whether Rule 702’s framework is the right fit for machine output. (October 2026)

Read the white paper (PDF)

NEWS – 2026

Alexander A. Reinert wins CJRI’s “Best Publication Prize“

The Berkeley Civil Justice Research Initiative is pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s Berkeley Civil Justice Research Initiative Best Publication Prize is Alexander A. Reinert for his article “Notice Pleading’s Quiet Return.” The prize is awarded annually by the CJRI Board of Advisors to recognize the best scholarly work in the previous year on a civil justice issue that is relevant to practitioners.

¹World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index

²Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans

³Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans