Podcast appearances and mentions of rebecca sandefur

With as many as 120 million legal problems going unresolved in America each year, traditional lawyer-centered approaches to access to justice have consistently failed to meet the scale of need. But what if the solution is not just about providing more legal services — what if it lies in fundamentally rethinking who can provide legal help? In today's episode, host Bob Ambrogi is joined by two of the nation's leading researchers on access to justice: Rebecca Sandefur, professor and director of the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University and a faculty fellow at the American Bar Foundation, and Matthew Burnett, director of research and programs for the Access to Justice Research Initiative at the American Bar Foundation and an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.  They argue that the access to justice crisis is actually a crisis of democracy. As cofounders of Frontline Justice, they have been pioneering research on "justice workers" — community members trained to help their neighbors navigate legal issues. Their recent article in the South Carolina Law Review, “Justice Work as Democracy Work: Reimagining Access to Justice as Democratization,” makes a provocative case: When people cannot access their own law, democracy itself fails. They present compelling evidence from Alaska, where nearly 200 community justice workers now serve over 40 rural communities, achieving a 1-to-25 return on investment while dramatically expanding legal aid's reach. In today's conversation, Sandefur and Burnett discuss the mounting evidence for justice worker effectiveness, including research from the U.K. demonstrating that trained non-lawyers often outperform attorneys on specialized tasks. They also discuss recent breakthroughs — including unprecedented support from both the Conference of Chief Justices and the American Bar Association — and examine what obstacles remain.  Sandefur and Burnett challenge the legal profession's monopoly on law, arguing that regulatory capture has estranged Americans from their own justice system. They envision justice workers as agents of democratization, expanding not just who can access legal help, but who can participate meaningfully in working democracy.  Related episodes: On the latest LawNext: Sociologist Rebecca Sandefur on Enhancing Access to Justice. On LawNext: How A New Kind of Justice Worker Could Narrow the Justice Gap, with Nikole Nelson, CEO of Frontline Justice.  On LawNext: CEO Nikole Nelson Returns with An Update on Frontline Justice's Mission to Empower Justice Workers and Bridge the Justice Gap.   Thank You To Our Sponsors This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out. Paradigm, home to the practice management platforms PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase and LollyLaw; the e-payments platform Headnote; and the legal accounting software TrustBooks. Briefpoint, eliminating routine discovery response and request drafting tasks so you can focus on drafting what matters (or just make it home for dinner). Paxton, Rapidly conduct research, accelerate drafting, and analyze documents with Paxton. What do you need to get done today?    If you enjoy listening to LawNext, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Most people facing legal problems don't see them as legal at all—they see them as life problems with landlords, employers, or benefits agencies. That disconnect leaves millions without meaningful help, even when lawyers or courts are available.  In this episode, Zack Glaser talks with Professor Rebecca Sandefur (Arizona State University, American Bar Foundation) and Matthew Burnett (Georgetown Law, ABF) about their research on community justice workers and why people-centered solutions may be the key to closing the justice gap.  They explore how community justice workers operate in Alaska and beyond, why legal help doesn't always have to come from lawyers, and how rules around unauthorized practice of law are evolving. You'll hear evidence that trained non-lawyers can be just as effective—sometimes more so—than attorneys in resolving critical issues like housing or benefits.  Rebecca and Matthew also discuss what “success” really means: scalable, sustainable programs that meet people where they are, in their own communities, in their own language. And they argue that broadening access to justice isn't just about legal services—it's about strengthening democracy itself.  This episode is for lawyers, policymakers, and innovators who want to reimagine how legal help is delivered—and build a justice system that actually works for the people it's meant to serve.  Additionally, Zack and Stephanie talk about the upcoming ClioCon 2025 in Boston, MA. Check out the conference and get your tickets at cliocon.com. Use the code “LawyeristxClioCon” for a $300 discount on your ticket.    Listen to our other episodes on Access To Justice:  #129: The Business of Public Access to Law, with Tim Stanley   Apple | Spotify | LTN  #228: The Real Access-to-Justice Problem and How We Might Solve It, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #423: Bridging the Access to Justice Gap with Technology, with Sateesh Nori  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #440: A Path to Meaningful Regulations, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.    Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.    Chapters/Timestamps:  00:00 – Fall & ClioCon in Boston05:24 – Meet Rebecca Sandefur & Matthew Burnett06:50 – A People-Centered Justice Approach11:08 – Community Justice Workers Explained15:55 – Legal Help Without Lawyers20:31 – What Success Really Looks Like25:23 – State Models & Next Steps34:30 – Scaling Justice & Strengthening Democracy38:49 – Final Takeaways 

Most people facing legal problems don't see them as legal at all—they see them as life problems with landlords, employers, or benefits agencies. That disconnect leaves millions without meaningful help, even when lawyers or courts are available.  In this episode, Zack Glaser talks with Professor Rebecca Sandefur (Arizona State University, American Bar Foundation) and Matthew Burnett (Georgetown Law, ABF) about their research on community justice workers and why people-centered solutions may be the key to closing the justice gap.  They explore how community justice workers operate in Alaska and beyond, why legal help doesn't always have to come from lawyers, and how rules around unauthorized practice of law are evolving. You'll hear evidence that trained non-lawyers can be just as effective—sometimes more so—than attorneys in resolving critical issues like housing or benefits.  Rebecca and Matthew also discuss what “success” really means: scalable, sustainable programs that meet people where they are, in their own communities, in their own language. And they argue that broadening access to justice isn't just about legal services—it's about strengthening democracy itself.  This episode is for lawyers, policymakers, and innovators who want to reimagine how legal help is delivered—and build a justice system that actually works for the people it's meant to serve.  Additionally, Zack and Stephanie talk about the upcoming ClioCon 2025 in Boston, MA. Check out the conference and get your tickets at cliocon.com. Use the code “LawyeristxClioCon” for a $300 discount on your ticket.    Listen to our other episodes on Access To Justice:  #129: The Business of Public Access to Law, with Tim Stanley   Apple | Spotify | LTN  #228: The Real Access-to-Justice Problem and How We Might Solve It, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #423: Bridging the Access to Justice Gap with Technology, with Sateesh Nori  Apple | Spotify | LTN  #440: A Path to Meaningful Regulations, with Rebecca Sandefur  Apple | Spotify | LTN  If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.    Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.    Chapters/Timestamps:  00:00 – Fall & ClioCon in Boston05:24 – Meet Rebecca Sandefur & Matthew Burnett06:50 – A People-Centered Justice Approach11:08 – Community Justice Workers Explained15:55 – Legal Help Without Lawyers20:31 – What Success Really Looks Like25:23 – State Models & Next Steps34:30 – Scaling Justice & Strengthening Democracy38:49 – Final Takeaways  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November, the organization Frontline Justice launched with the mission of addressing the escalating access to justice crisis by empowering a new category of legal helper, the justice worker. The organization has an ambitious mission: To clear the way for justice workers to exist in all 50 states by 2035.  In pursuit of that mission, it is backed by an impressive founding team that includes Rebecca Sandefur, one of the world's leading scholars on access to justice (who was on LawNext in 2020); Matthew Burnett, senior program officer for the Access to Justice Research Initiative at the American Bar Foundation (ABF); Jim Sandman, president emeritus of the Legal Services Corporation (on LawNext in 2019); and other notable names.  On this episode of LawNext, host Bob Ambrogi is joined by Nikole Nelson, the CEO of Frontline Justice. Before starting there in November, Nelson had been executive director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation, where she was instrumental in launching a statewide community justice worker project that won the 2019 World Justice Challenge. She was also instrumental in bringing about an Alaska Supreme Court rule change in 2022 allowing justice workers supervised by Alaska Legal Services to provide limited scope legal help in certain situations.  Nelson describes how justice workers helped Alaska Legal Services better serve the legal problems of people across the state's remotest regions, and how new models of justice workers in other states could similarly help reach those who are not now receiving adequate help for their legal problems. She also recognizes that Frontline Justice faces obstacles in achieving its mission, and she shares her thoughts on how it can overcome them.  Thank You To Our Sponsors This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out. Paradigm, home to the practice management platforms PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase and LollyLaw; the e-payments platform Headnote; and the legal accounting software TrustBooks.   If you enjoy listening to LawNext, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Join us as Zack and Professor Sandefur talk about what it takes to increase access to justice. They discuss what it really means, the unauthorized practice of law, and how we can find a path to meaningful regulations. If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Posh Virtual Receptionists, Clio, & LawPay for sponsoring this episode.

Join us as Zack and Professor Sandefur talk about what it takes to increase access to justice. They discuss what it really means, the unauthorized practice of law, and how we can find a path to meaningful regulations. If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Posh Virtual Receptionists, Clio, & LawPay for sponsoring this episode.

Legal experts discuss Alaska's recent approval of the use of supervised non-lawyers to provide limited-scope legal assistance on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Nikole Nelson, executive director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC); Dr. Robert Onders, medical director Maniilaq Health Corporation; and Rebecca Sandefur, sociologist and professor at Arizona State University.

Legal experts discuss Alaska's recent approval of the use of supervised non-lawyers to provide limited-scope legal assistance on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Nikole Nelson, executive director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC); Dr. Robert Onders, medical director Maniilaq Health Corporation; and Rebecca Sandefur, sociologist and professor at Arizona State University.

Sociologist Rebecca Sandefur is one of the world’s leading scholars on access to justice. Professor at the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University, she is also a faculty fellow at the American Bar Foundation, where she founded and leads the Access to Justice Research Initiative. In 2018, she was named a recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” for her work promoting an evidence-based approach to increasing access to justice for low-income communities.  In the wake of Washington state’s decision to sunset its pioneering Limited License Legal Technicians program, host Bob Ambrogi asks Sandefur about that program, which she evaluated in a 2017 report, and about other programs in which those other than lawyers provide legal assistance.  They also discuss access to justice more broadly, including the scope and causes of the justice gap, the obstacles to bridging it, the impact of race and class on access to justice, what works and what does not to close the gap, and why regulatory reform and technology are essential to enhancing access to justice.  NEW: Comment on this show: Record a voice comment on your mobile phone and send it to info@lawnext.com. We are now on Patreon! Subscribe to our page to be able to access show transcripts, or to submit a question for our guests.

Access to justice is still a significant problem in the United States, and legal issues can cause considerable hardships for those involved, especially when they lack legal help. Regulatory reforms are being considered across the country to provide new ways to enable access to legal services. On The Road host Ralph Baxter talks to Legalweek panelists Rebecca Sandefur, Vice Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court Ann Timmer, Andrew Arruda, and Utah Supreme Court Justice Deno Himonas about how these new reforms aim to reshape the delivery of legal services for greater access for all. Rebecca Sandefur is an academic sociologist and Associate Professor of Sociology and Law at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Andrew Arruda is chief executive officer and co-founder of ROSS Intelligence. Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2012. Justice Constandinos "Deno" Himonas was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in 2015.

Access to justice is still a significant problem in the United States, and legal issues can cause considerable hardships for those involved, especially when they lack legal help. Regulatory reforms are being considered across the country to provide new ways to enable access to legal services. On The Road host Ralph Baxter talks to Legalweek panelists Rebecca Sandefur, Vice Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court Ann Timmer, Andrew Arruda, and Utah Supreme Court Justice Deno Himonas about how these new reforms aim to reshape the delivery of legal services for greater access for all. Rebecca Sandefur is an academic sociologist and Associate Professor of Sociology and Law at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Andrew Arruda is chief executive officer and co-founder of ROSS Intelligence. Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2012. Justice Constandinos "Deno" Himonas was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in 2015.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Rebecca Sandefur, who turns a sociologist’s eye to civil justice. Civil justice problems can lead to bankruptcy, homelessness, illness, family separation and poverty, but Sandefur says what makes it to the courts is just the “tip of the civil justice iceberg”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Rebecca Sandefur, who turns a sociologist’s eye to civil justice. Civil justice problems can lead to bankruptcy, homelessness, illness, family separation and poverty, but Sandefur says what makes it to the courts is just the “tip of the civil justice iceberg”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrate our 200th episode with us (in September) by leaving your voicemail question by August 30th, 2019 and we'll answer your question on air! Leave your question here www.genylawyer.com/speak Joining me today is Sam Glover, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.lawyerist.com, an online community of innovative lawyers building the future of law and a place for lawyers to learn how to start, manage, and grow a modern law practice Sam is just splendid and I think by the end of this episode, you will see why. Sam's vision of what the future of law can and should be is refreshing and definitely worth listening to, especially if you're a lawyer who wishes to build a law practice that thrives in the future. Along with learning more about the Small Firm and Solo Practice Score Card, which can help lawyers assess their strengths and ascertain how to improve and grow, we also dive into Sam's life as a father of two daughters and an avid skateboarder. Resources Mentioned: Jordan Furlong's book – Law is a Buyer's Market   Rebecca Sandefur's study Contact Information: www.lawyerist.com Thanks for Listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who could benefit from listening to this particular episode. I appreciate it! If you haven't already, please don't forget to subscribe to the GYL Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Spotify. That way, every time I prepare a new episode for you, it'll automatically show up in your phone.

In this episode with Rebecca Sandefur, we talk about why people rarely turn to lawyers or courts for assistance with their problems, how to properly educate civilians on obtaining legal help, and what role small and solo firm lawyers play in the solution.

In this episode with Rebecca Sandefur, we talk about why people rarely turn to lawyers or courts for assistance with their problems, how to properly educate civilians on obtaining legal help, and what role small and solo firm lawyers play in the solution.

Many people have limited access to justice, or may not realize a life problem they have is a legal problem. From ABA Midyear Meeting, Kimberly Sanchez and Chad Burton host this episode of On The Road with Rebecca Sandefur, an academic sociologist and access to justice researcher. They discuss her research into digital access to justice tools and how they seek to innovate these tools in order to empower people to understand and act on their legal problems.

Professor Rebecca Sandefur is a distinguished sociologist and legal scholar whose research focuses on inequality, particularly as it relates to law. She joins WJP Director of Engagement Joel Martinez to talk about access to civil justice: what that term means, what the research says about it, and how it can be improved. Learn more: bit.ly/2P2MLRr.