Legal Definitions - American Bar Foundation

The American Bar Foundation is an independent, non-profit research institute that serves as the research arm of the American Bar Association. It is dedicated to advancing justice through rigorous, empirical research on law, legal processes, and the legal profession. The Foundation sponsors and funds scholarly projects that explore the impact of law on society, improve legal education, and inform legal policy.

• Example: The American Bar Foundation might provide a grant to a team of sociologists and legal scholars studying how different state laws regarding eviction impact housing stability and poverty rates in urban areas.

  Explanation: This illustrates the Foundation's role in sponsoring and funding "law-related research" and "social studies" by examining the real-world effects of legal frameworks on societal issues like housing and poverty.

• Example: A university's law school could receive funding from the American Bar Foundation to develop an innovative program that teaches law students how to use data analytics to identify systemic biases in the criminal justice system.

  Explanation: This demonstrates the Foundation's commitment to "education" by supporting initiatives that enhance legal training and equip future lawyers with tools to address complex legal and social challenges.

• Example: The Foundation could commission a multi-year study investigating the long-term effects of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts on individuals' ability to seek legal redress and the overall fairness of the justice system.

  Explanation: This highlights the Foundation's involvement in funding "social studies" and "law-related research" that examines how specific legal mechanisms influence access to justice and consumer rights, ultimately informing potential policy discussions.