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.

Rank of the united States among 113 countries in “accessibility and affordability of civil justice.”

100Million+

Number of people in the United States living with civil justice problems, many involving basic human needs like housing, health care and custody of their children.

The percent of the civil legal problems reported by low income Americans for which they received inadequate or no legal help.

CIVIL JUSTICE NEWS

5.1B People Lack Access to Justice, Landmark Report Finds

For the first time ever, a collection of world leaders and justice advocates have quantified the challenge facing the United Nations’ stated goal of ensuring equal access to justice for all by the year 2030.

EVENTS

VALERIE HANS, PROFESSOR OF LAW, CORNELL LAW, DECIDING ON DOLLARS | BERKELEY ONLINE | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Legal systems often require the translation of qualitative assessments into quantitative judgments, yet the conversion process can be challenging. Civil jurors report that arriving at damage awards that are commensurate with a plaintiff’s injuries is one of the most difficult aspects of their decision making.

Professor Hans will present recent experimental and survey research that helps us to better understand the process by which jurors move from qualitative judgments about the severity of an injury to quantitative decisions about money damage awards. The presentation will be from 12:50-2:00 pm, via Zoom. This event is supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.

See more events.

CIVIL JUSTICE RESEARCH

Rights and Retrenchment

The Civil Justice Research Initiative recently published a whitepaper on Rights and Retrenchment authored by Stephen B. Burbank and Sean Farhang. Read the paper here >