John D. Casey, JD ’82, former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Family and Probate Court, who pioneered case management innovations to increase court access, will direct Suffolk University Law School's new AAA-Suffolk Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Innovation Clinic launching August 1, 2025. Judge Casey was honored in March 2025 by the Massachusetts Bar Foundation for his COVID-era court management innovations.

The new clinic will customize a digital platform—using the AAA’s ODR.com—to develop user-friendly digital tools, including guided interviews, court forms, and AI-powered guidance for low-contest divorces and family law matters in Massachusetts. These tools will help self-represented parties resolve straightforward family law disputes, navigate complex court processes, avoid long delays, and reduce conflict.

Courts nationwide, including those in Massachusetts, have reported that at least 75% of their family law cases involve at least one self-represented party, according to the National Center for State Courts. In Massachusetts, self-represented parties face challenges understanding and complying with court procedures for low-contest divorces, resulting in rejected filings, court backlogs, and emotional stress.

In Suffolk Law’s ODR Design Lab this spring, students analyzed why some divorce filings are rejected and mapped out initial approaches breaking down the filing process into manageable steps. The three-year initiative will culminate with a divorce process workflow and set of online tools that can be beta-tested in Massachusetts. The goal is to develop a framework that can be replicated in other jurisdictions and adapted for legal issues beyond family law.

This joint program combines Suffolk Law’s nationally recognized expertise in legal technology, dispute resolution, and clinical education with the AAA’s leadership in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) innovation, technology, and AI, the AAA-ICDR Institute’s™ commitment to advancing access to justice through research and thought leadership, and ODR.com’s development of scalable, secure online dispute resolution tools.

Unique vantagepoint on Massachusetts divorce process

Judge Casey served in the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court for 19 years, becoming Chief Justice in 2018. “His long experience across 14 divisions of the family court has given Judge Casey unique insight into the systemic challenges the clinic aims to address, and the initiative will benefit enormously from his involvement,” said Professor Dyane O’Leary, project manager for the new clinic and director of Suffolk Law’s Legal Innovation & Technology Center.

In some cases, low-contest divorce litigants wait three, four, or five months for a hearing before a family court judge, Judge Casey noted. Avoidable filing mistakes, for example, in financial statements, often compound these delays. “The courts can do a better job helping people understand instructions and what is required from them.”

Judge Casey’s track record includes successfully implementing the Pathways case management system within Massachusetts family courts. That system addresses 1,000 less complex family law cases monthly through early case conferences handled by assistant judicial case managers, resolving about two-thirds of those disputes without a judge’s direct involvement.

Judge Casey’s innovations have already transformed litigants’ court experiences. Where the Department of Revenue’s child support sessions once brought “hundreds of people to the courthouse” waiting for hours, remote hearings now often allow parties to attend for 15 minutes and avoid missing work.

Regarding his new role at Suffolk Law, Judge Casey said: “It just seemed like a natural transition for me. I've always been trying to improve access to justice.”

Scaling innovation through partnership

“Our partnership with the AAA brings together Judge Casey’s proven court management expertise with cutting-edge dispute resolution technology,” said Andrew Perlman, Dean of Suffolk Law. “The combination of operational experience, our Legal Innovation & Technology Lab's capabilities, and the AAA’s ODR.com platform creates a powerful opportunity to address systemic access to justice problems.”

“Our partnership demonstrates how forward-thinking judicial leadership, combined with advanced technology, can meaningfully expand access to justice,” said Bridget McCormack, president and CEO of the AAA. “At the AAA, and through our AAA-ICDR Institute, we are committed to improving access to justice through ADR, and this program brings that mission to life. Judge Casey’s transformative work in the courts, together with Suffolk Law’s dedication to legal innovation and our ODR.com platform, positions the clinic to become a national model for family law access.”

About the American Arbitration Association

The not-for-profit AAA is the leading alternative dispute resolution service provider. It has administered more than eight million ADR cases since its founding in 1926. With offices throughout the United States and Singapore, the AAA provides organizations of all sizes in virtually every industry with ADR services and products. For more information, visit www.adr.org.

About ODR.com

ODR.com, a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of AAA, is the global leader in online dispute resolution. It serves courts, universities, governmental agencies, and businesses of all sizes. ODR.com offers a proven, secure, and scalable online dispute resolution platform used by more than 200 dispute resolution partner organizations worldwide, including the International Monetary Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and NASA.

About the AAA-ICDR Institute

The AAA-ICDR Institute is the thought leadership and R&D arm of the AAA, focused on enhancing equity, efficiency, and accessibility in dispute resolution. Through initiatives that promote access to justice, court-connected ADR, the use of artificial intelligence in ADR, and fairness in arbitration, the Institute collaborates with courts, academic institutions, nonprofits, and technology partners to develop equitable, data-driven solutions to shape the future ADR. Visit www.adr.org/aaa-icdr-institute.

About Suffolk University Law School

Suffolk Law, located in Boston, is consistently recognized as one of the most innovative law schools in the nation. Our Legal Innovation and Technology Center is at the forefront of preparing our students for next generation legal careers. The school’s practical legal skills programs are all regularly ranked among the nation’s best. Students in our top-ten ranked Clinical Programs serve the public through 14 in-house and hybrid law clinics, as well as scores of externship field placements. Our Dispute Resolution Programs are likewise nationally recognized at the forefront of the field. For more information, visit www.suffolk.edu/law.