Civil Litigants’ Evaluations of Their Legal Experiences

Abstract

How do litigants evaluate their experiences with the civil justice system? What we know about this important subject has grown out of foundational academic research in procedural justice and studies of litigant involvement in court programs. The volume of projects dedicated to understanding litigant experiences falls short in relation to the magnitude of civil justice system encounters handled by the legal system. Nevertheless, the extant research converges on some surprising insights into the factors that shape litigants’ perspectives and the contextual variables that affect their experiences. This article synthesizes the major findings, discusses some of their law and policy implications, and highlights areas that beg for further investigation at the intersection of law and psychology.