Knowledge powers the pursuit of justice.
- News
August 12, 2025
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has appointed Natacha Nsabimana and Alana Ackerman, both scholars in anthropology, to join its community as Research Professors beginning fall 2025. These scholars will join a robust community of researchers advancing understandings of law and society through empirical and interdisciplinary research. … Read More
American Bar Foundation
We conduct research that explores the intersection of
law and society—to expand knowledge and advance justice.
Our groundbreaking research is used to:
Spark conversations
about the world's
most pressing issues
most pressing issues
Shape law and policy
by informing lawmakers,
practitioners, and the judiciary
practitioners, and the judiciary
Influence societies
in the U.S. and
across the world
across the world
Featured Research
In the News
- News
New Legal Realism at Twenty: Rethinking Law in a Changing World
November 20, 2025
When New Legal Realism (NLR) began two decades ago as a movement, its… Read More
- News
American Bar Endowment Awards Annual Grant of $3.9 Million to the American Bar Foundation for 2025–26
October 15, 2025
The American Bar Endowment (ABE) has awarded its annual grant of $3.9 million to the American Bar Foundation (ABF) for the 2025–26 fiscal year. This longstanding grant provides essential support for the ABF’s interdisciplinary, empirical research on law and policy. “The ABE has long supported the important work… Read More
- News
Mason Ji Elected to ABF Board of Directors Alongside New Ex Officio Members
September 12, 2025
From left to right, Mason Ji, Perkins Coie; Zachary Clopton, Northwestern Pritzker; Howard T. Wall III, Epstein Becker Green; Barbara J. Howard, Barbara J. Howard Law The American Bar Foundation (ABF) welcomes Seattle-based litigator Mason Ji to its Board of Directors following his election at… Read More
Featured Events
December 03, 2025
Sociology, University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign
Crisis by Design: Emergency Powers and Colonial Legality in Puerto Rico
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Upcoming Events
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Featured Researcher
Stephen Daniels
ABF Research Professor Emeritus
Stephen Daniels is a Research Professor Emeritus at the American Bar Foundation. His ABF research project, Alternative Legal Professionals, examines legal technician programs, which license non-lawyers to practice certain aspects of law in a limited capacity with the goal of expanding access to legal services at a more affordable cost. In this feature, Daniels discusses how this concept emerged, spread, and continues to evolve across multiple states.
- Podcasts
Episode 8: Season One Finale: When Law Meets Society
The season finale of Season 1 of Whose Law is it Anyway explores the impact of ABF's research with former Executive Director, Ajay K. Mehrotra.
- Videos
Shaping the Future of Sociolegal Research: ABF Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships
Watch to learn more about the ABF Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships.