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Proof Over Precedent

Proof Over Precedent

Written by: Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
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The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School discusses the work of bringing credible evidence to lawyers, judges, and decision makers, to transform the U.S. justice system into an evidence-based field. We bring you weekly one-on-one interviews with experts in the area of access to justice -- researchers, lawyers, professors, law students, data analysts, research participants, and anyone who has an interesting role in this growing area.© 2025 Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Episode 51: How Lawyers and Rental Assistance Impact Eviction Cases

    Episode 51: How Lawyers and Rental Assistance Impact Eviction Cases
    May 19 2026
    Facing an eviction, a tenant has to decide if the added expense of an attorney is worth it for the possibility of avoiding an eviction judgment. In a discussion of a randomized controlled trial outside the A2J Lab, Faculty Director Jim Greiner talks with economists Aviv Caspi and Charlie Rafkin about when, why, and whether lawyers make a difference in evictions cases. The study coincided with a government emergency housing fund that expired during the RCT, which helped answer how lawyers can best make a difference as well.
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    49 mins
  • Episode 50: Pro Se Litigants, AI, and the Future of Legal Assistance

    Episode 50: Pro Se Litigants, AI, and the Future of Legal Assistance
    May 12 2026
    State bar associations typically file more UPL complaints than consumers. Given the intended aim of protecting consumers, UPL may actually be serving more as an obstacle and less as a protection for consumers using generative AI in the legal space. That's the argument Wake Forest Law Professor and UPL expert Ellen Murphy makes in the latest Proof Over Precedent episode, where she identifies the legal industry's progress with AI regulation by state and how AI and human counseling may combine to be the strongest access-to-justice resource.
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    39 mins
  • Episode 49: AI and the Future of Legal Aid—Navigating Unauthorized Practice

    Episode 49: AI and the Future of Legal Aid—Navigating Unauthorized Practice
    May 4 2026
    The low cost and accessibility of AI make it a potential game changer for pro se litigation and the future of affordable legal aid. But with the patchwork of state unauthorized practice of law (UPL) rules and no court resolution on AI's UPL liability, it also faces an uncertain future as a legal tool. HLS students tackle the issue in the latest Proof Over Precedent and distinguish between legal information and legal advice—a key to general-purpose AI's future in law.
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    23 mins
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