The Plural Of Anecdote Is Not Data: Teaching Law Students Basic Survey Methodology To Improve Access to Justice In Unemployment Insurance Appeals

Authors

Enrique S. Pumar
Faith Mullen

Abstract

This project has its origins at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC). In March 2008, UDC hosted a meeting between the Pro Bono Committee of the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings, and clinical professors and pro bono coordinators from several law schools in the District of Columbia. At that meeting, the Pro Bono Committee initiated a dialogue about how to better meet the needs of self-represented individuals who appear before the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) and extended an invitation to attend some OAH hearings. Professor Mullen accepted that invitation and between March and September 2008 attended more than forty hearings. Initially, the purpose of attending hearings was to identify case types that might be suitable for the law students enrolled in the General Practice Clinic at The Catholic University of America law school. It soon became clear to Professor Mullen that a large number of individuals who appear before the OAH are self-represented, and that many of them would benefit from having legal representation or at least more legal information about the hearing process.

First Page

17

Recommended Citation

Enrique S. Pumar & Faith Mullen, The Plural Of Anecdote Is Not Data: Teaching Law Students Basic Survey Methodology To Improve Access to Justice In Unemployment Insurance Appeals, 16 U.D.C. L. Rev. 17 (2012).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.udc.edu/udclr/vol16/iss1/17