Propose a Study or a Project

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Propose a Study or a Project

Students may wish to propose their own study that fits with their academic interests, class topics, or master’s or PhD research. Below is an overview of the data LAN is currently collecting.

Client/Case Level Variables Collected

The following information on each client/case is collected in LAN’s case management system, which can be exported into a spreadsheet

Client Information

Name
Age
Address (street, city, zip, county)
Phone number
Email address
Birth date
Language
Gender
Ethnicity
Marital status
Tribe affiliation
Country of origin
Disabled
Veteran or veteran in household
Agricultural worker
Income: gross and net
Income type (employment, public benefits, student loans, etc)
Assets (savings, car, property, etc)
Poverty (% of FPL)
Number in household (adults, children)
Citizenship, immigration status

Case Information

Attorney handling the case
Office location
Type of legal issue
Open Date, close date
Type of legal service provided (counsel and advice, referral, negotiated settlement, court decision, etc)
Rejection reason (over income, out of service area, LSC exclusion, conflict of interest, etc)
Intake type (phone, online, walk-in)
Whether domestic abuse was involved
Attorney hours spent on the case

Self-Reported Outcomes from Client Surveys

LAN is currently making an effort to increase the number of client surveys completed and returned. The effort will involve continuing to mail surveys to clients, providing an electronic version with reminders, and potentially calling a random sample of clients to complete the survey over the phone.

Client satisfaction

Whether desired legal result was achieved
Satisfaction with various characteristics of LAN
The extent to which LAN’s assistance helped the client’s understanding of the court process and legal right

Self-reported non-legal outcomes

Improvement to financial situation
Being free from violence by a former spouse, intimate partner, family member, caretaker, etc.
Obtaining secure and stable housing
Reducing dependence on public assistance

Additional Information

Additionally, case notes are recorded in the case management system and can be exported as well. This information is in narrative form as entered by LAN attorneys and paralegals and therefore coding and analyzing it would take time. However, case notes contain rich details about the cases, including the following summaries:

Voicemails left and other attempts to contact clients
Legal problems communicated to LAN by the client
Description of advice and other information provided to client
Case progression information, including when complaints were filed, when parties were served, date and time of hearings, settlement offers, etc.
Case outcome: whether settled or went to trial, legal remedy obtained for the client, etc.

Propose a Study or a Project