David Freeman Engstrom
Stanford Law Professor David Freeman Engstrom

Stanford Law’s Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession and Legal Design Lab launched a new collaboration with court systems in six states—Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia—to simplify filings in civil cases affecting millions of Americans. By coordinating the information needed for filings and eliminating other roadblocks, the states will open the door for deployment of readily available technology to improve access to justice—especially for the millions not represented by lawyers—while also reducing costs for litigants, their lawyers, and the courts. “Overcoming the history, traditions, and inertia that can hinder access to justice requires the kind of commitment these states are offering,” said David Freeman Engstrom, JD ’02, LSVF Professor in Law and co-director of the Rhode Center on the Legal Profession. “There’s no technological reason that applying for a name change, defending against an eviction, or seeking a fee waiver from a court needs to be more complex than what millions of Americans do in other areas of their lives every day on smartphones and laptops. Working together, we know this change can happen.” To learn more, go to https://law.stanford.edu/news-announcements.