Professor Julie Macfarlane
Following the release of Prof Julie Macfarlane’s 2013 research study on “Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Self-Represented Litigants”, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System or IAALS approached Julie and asked for permission to replicate her qualitative methodology in a study of self-reresented litigants in the US. In 2014, the IAALS research team working with Julie and then NSRLP Project Manger Sure Rice, established funding, secured field sites in four US states (Tennessee, Oregon, Massachusetts and Colorado) and developed an interview instrument based on the Canadian format (http://iaals.du.edu/honoring-families/projects/ensuring-access-family-justice-system/cases-without-counsel)
The final “Cases Without Counsel” research report was released last week. The results of the US study are very similar to the Canadian study. Julie has remained as a consultant throughout the project, including assisting with the writing of the research report. The study was widely covered in US media.
Click here to read the final report.
Here are some of the media stories:
AP News: The Big Story. This was picked up by the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, Yahoo News, and CBS Radio News