People Centered: We believe in the value of human growth and flourishing, so that law students and our team members, partners, and collaborators can experience the support, autonomy, and inclusion necessary to reach their full potential.
Equity and Anti-Racism: We believe that systemic inequity pervades U.S. society. Racial inequality—especially anti-Black racism—are acute, enduring stains on U.S. life. Many other inequalities also rend the social fabric. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism at every stage of legal education and within our own organization.
Evidence-Based: We believe that research should be carefully conducted, tested, and subject to rigorous evaluation. We believe in the importance of sharing our findings and the evidence-based tools we develop with legal educators, and in thereby benefiting law students.
Psychological Science: We believe in the power of social psychological insights to create tools that improve people’s lives and promote a more humane, just, and compassionate, world. We believe in the importance of building a field that elevates social psychology as central to equity, belonging, and growth in legal education and the legal profession.
Change through Collaboration: We believe in the importance of interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations rooted in trust, common purpose, diligence, and collegiality.
Access to Law and Lawyers: We believe in the importance of law and lawyers for American society and for access to justice. We believe in the critical role that law and lawyers play in access to justice; access to power; and access to economic, political, and social autonomy. Law shapes every corner of U.S. life. Yet many people are unable to access legal representation or to receive adequate resolution for their legal problems. Too few lawyers serve the nation’s neediest and most vulnerable communities.