Fri, Apr 18, 202512 PM – 1:15 PM PDT (GMT-7)Add to Calendar
Law Building (LAW), LAW 3500401 East Peltason Drive, Irvine , CA 92697, United States
Details:
Dalié Jiménez, Professor of Law at UC Irvine School of Law, will present: "Routinized “Justice”: Procedural Reform and the Re-Legitimation of Debt Collection Courts".
Abstract
This Article examines the impact of procedural reforms designed to improve documentation in debt collection lawsuits, focusing on California, Connecticut, and Texas. Drawing on empirical studies that combine causal inference with qualitative document review, it finds that while the reforms led to modest improvements in documentation and some litigation outcomes, courts continue to grant default judgments in cases with clear procedural violations. Judges often accept incomplete filings, particularly in high-volume courts, reinforcing a culture of symbolic compliance. Drawing on sociolegal theory, the Article argues that these reforms have re-legitimated, rather than transformed, debt collection litigation. Procedural rigor improves the appearance of fairness, prompting some behavioral change, but fails to rebalance power or meaningfully protect unrepresented defendants. Ultimately, the Article argues that even well-intentioned reforms can become tools of institutional maintenance—preserving legitimacy through form while substantive disparities persist.Hosted by the UCI Center in Law, Society and Culture, the Socio-Legal Studies Workshop is an interdisciplinary seminar that brings together scholars both within and beyond the UCI community working at the intersections of law, social sciences, humanities, and the arts to discuss works-in-progress. The Workshop also features a series of book talks in which authors discuss their recently published work.To request reasonable accommodations for a disability, please contact centers@law.uci.edu.
Original source can be found here.