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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Episode Reference Links:

Stanford Profile: Nora Freeman Engstrom

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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

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

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