Accessing Higher Quality Justice
Author(s): Joyce Sadka, Enrique Seira, and Christopher Woodruff
Jul 29, 2025 | Working Paper
Center For Economic Policy Research
Abstract
Research shows that lawyers affect legal outcomes, but little is known about how clients choose lawyers. We conduct an experiment with plaintiffs in the Mexico City Labor Court. We compare plaintiffs’ choice of lawyers in a control group and two treatment groups: one that increases the plaintiff’s knowledge of likely case outcomes and the other that facilitates meetings with public lawyers. The knowledge treatment group contracts higher-quality lawyers, with whom they are more satisfied. The treatment halves the market share of low-quality “ambulance chasers”. The meeting treatment increases the use of public lawyers but does not increase satisfaction.
Locations
- Mexico