Erika Rickard leads Pew’s work to modernize the nation’s civil legal system, a project to pilot and evaluate the most promising technologies and tools to assist people without access to a lawyer. These include online dispute resolution, which brings the entire court process online, so people can resolve their cases without going to a courthouse; and legal information and assistance portals, which use interactive technology to identify legal problems and direct users to information and resources tailored to their needs.
Before joining Pew, Rickard directed field research at Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice Lab, which conducts rigorous studies on access to justice and court administration. She is also a commissioner on the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. Rickard was the first Access to Justice coordinator for Massachusetts, where she developed and implemented new policies and programs in the areas of language access, technology, and resources for people navigating the court system without a lawyer.
Rickard holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Mills College and a juris doctor from Harvard Law School.