Knowledge powers the pursuit of justice.
- News
July 22, 2026
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has named Laura Beth Nielsen as its eleventh Executive Director, succeeding Interim Executive Director and ABF Affiliated Research Professor Bryant Garth. She will assume the role September 1 and will be the first woman to lead the organization as it approaches its milestone seventy-fifth anniversary. Nielsen has been a 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
ABF Hosts New York City Reception Celebrating RBG Fund
July 27, 2026
A reception in May 2026 celebrated the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the fund named in her honor at the ABF. Ginsburg in 1981, when she was a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. When Justice Ruth… Read More
- News
The ABF Announces 2026–27 Visiting Scholars
July 13, 2026
The American Bar Foundation is pleased to welcome six Visiting Scholars to the ABF research community. The scholars of the 2026–27 cohort are: Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, Kathryn Birks Harvey, Jennifer Carlson, Sharese King, Stephen Engel, and Nick Cheesman. The ABF’s Visiting Scholar Program invites scholars from around the world… Read More
- News
The American Bar Foundation Announces 2026 Cohort of Doctoral Fellows
July 13, 2026
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has awarded doctoral fellowships to three exceptional scholars. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, these scholars were chosen for their impressive empirical and interdisciplinary research proposals in law and social science and will begin their roles on September 1. The research… Read More
Featured Events
September 16, 2026
Sociology and Law, University of Wisconsin Madison
More information coming soon!
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Upcoming Events
More
Law, American Bar Foundation and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Arc of Scholarship Talk: Directions, Inspirations, Obstacles, and Impasses
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
Sociology and Law, University of Wisconsin Madison
More information coming soon!
Hybrid: Virtual/In-Person
(ABF Offices, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor Chicago, IL)
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
The "Paradox of Procedure": Why More Rules Might Reduce Access to Justice—And How Market Tools Can Help