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Nora Freeman Engstrom is a professor of law who says that in three-quarters of cases one or more of the parties lacks legal representation. Worse yet, often the litigants are involved in high-consequence civil cases where there is no right to a lawyer and costs are prohibitive. Some states are looking at alternatives including non-lawyer representation, curated legal help for low-income citizens, and even AI, as Engstrom tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast.
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Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Russ Altman introduces guest Nora Freeman Engstrom, a professor of law at Stanford University.
(00:03:11) Path to Justice Work
Nora’s journey into legal ethics and justice reform.
(00:04:46) Misconceptions About Civil Court
How civil cases often involve one represented and one unrepresented party.
(00:08:40) Limits of Judicial Help
Why the U.S. adversarial system limits judicial involvement.
(00:10:40) Problems with Self-Help
The lack of reliable resources for people trying to represent themselves.
(00:13:41) The Cost of Legal Help
The high cost of representation and how legal aid is overwhelmed.
(00:15:20) A Missing Middle
How law lacks mid-level professionals to offer affordable legal help.
(00:17:41) Expanding Legal Access
Why law lacks mid-level roles and bans non-lawyer advice.
(00:22:22) New Models for Legal Support
The ways some states are testing trained non-lawyers to expand access.
(00:27:22) Legal Help in the Past
The history of legal access, including lawyers in banks and auto clubs.
(00:30:29) Legal Protectionism
How depression-era protectionism led to today’s lawyer-only model
(00:32:48) The Role of AI in Legal Access
The potential of AI for creating smarter legal tools for courts.
(00:35:52) Conclusion
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