The power of data: how sociological research findings are transforming the practice of legal clinics

Publication date: November 26, 2025

Author: Yuliia Bilyk, Communications Manager, Legal Development Network

Legal clinics at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, and Sumy State University conducted sociological research between September and November 2025. The goal was to better understand the legal needs of their target groups and strategically plan their activities based on the findings. They were supported in this endeavor by the Legal Development Network, which has repeatedly tested tools and methodologies originating from the Law-Capable Community program. Read on to find out whether the clinics achieved their research goals and how the teams plan to apply the data obtained in their work.

Inclusive education in frontline communities

The Legal Clinic of the H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University (hereinafter referred to as H. S. Skovoroda KNPU) studied the accessibility of inclusive education for children with special educational needs in communities in the Kharkiv region under martial law. A working group of five scientific and pedagogical workers and clinicians from the legal clinic developed the concept, organized focus groups, and analyzed the information.

“This was our first experience conducting a full-fledged sociological study. Therefore, at first, we doubted whether we had enough knowledge and skills to do a good job. We also feared that not all parents of children with special educational needs would be willing to talk to us. We even formed backup groups in the communities: people we could contact if someone on the list refused to participate in the survey. But it turned out to be a very exciting process. And, to our surprise, all respondents were open to communication, no one refused, and on the contrary, everyone tried to help as much as possible to contribute to overcoming current problems,” says Tetyana Golovan, Head of the Kharkiv National Pedagogical University Legal Clinic.

The legal clinic team collected data in eight communities in the Kharkiv region. However, due to force majeure circumstances in the region, it was only possible to carry out full-scale work in five of them: Novopokrovska, Lypetsk, Vysochanska, Bilyayivska, and Bezlyudivska communities. At the same time, partial data from the other three communities indicate that the problems and barriers to inclusive education are identical in all communities, regardless of their distance from the front line.

A total of 68 parents of children with special educational needs took part in the survey. The data obtained provided the clinic with a clear understanding of the directions for further work.

“One of the areas of activity of our legal clinic is legal education. Thanks to this research, we now understand the context and topics we can use to plan our future legal education activities. Secondly, we have a vision of the format of interaction that is desirable to apply in the communities under study,” explains Tetiana Golovan.

In particular, for communities that are closer to areas of active combat and, accordingly, have serious problems with communication, the internet, and access, the most necessary format for receiving legal assistance is mobile outreach teams. Such teams should include not only lawyers but also psychologists, in particular specialists in the field of inclusive education. As for communities located slightly further from the front line, an online format can be used: remote meetings with parents, online support groups.

“The request for assistance in the form of mobile groups was a revelation for us. Initially, we had a hypothesis about the advantages of online counseling. We also observed that communities close to the front line are in a state of informational isolation due to the constant danger. Because of this, they need more consultations and explanations. And we will try to fill in the gaps,” adds the Clinic’s Head.

According to Tetiana Golovan, the study fully demonstrated the power of real, verified information “firsthand.”

“Of course, the information we get from open sources and the information we hear directly from people is different. Therefore, the study and its results influence and transform the work of the legal clinic so that it meets the real needs and expectations of our clients.”

Elderly people in Kharkiv: identifying hidden legal problems

The Legal Clinic of Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (hereinafter referred to as Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University) focused on researching the legal problems of elderly people in the Kyiv district of Kharkiv. The choice of the Kyiv district for the study was not accidental.

“Our choice of target audience is due to the fact that the Kyiv district of Kharkiv was significantly affected during the full-scale war. During our field trips, for example, to Saltivka (a district in Kharkiv — ed.), we saw how many legal problems residents face are related to the war and its consequences. We want to help solve these problems, which is why we chose this district,” explains Anna Khazan, a Lab Assistant at the NYU Legal Clinic.

During August and September, the team developed research questions, coordinated them with mentors, and refined the tools to make them more accessible to respondents.

“The project experts (sociologist Marina Shpiker and access to justice expert Kateryna Yeroshenko — ed.) gave us an introduction to sociology and outlined the framework for communicating with people: how to approach people so that they would want to continue communicating, how to ask questions correctly, and even how to dress for a focus group,” says Anna Khazan.

The field stage lasted for a month. First, the team established communication with the territorial center for social services in the Kyiv district of Kharkiv, which serves people from all neighborhoods of the city. Then the main stage of the survey began. The data collection process ended with a discussion among interested parties in a focus group format.

According to Anna Khazan, one of the findings that struck the team was that one in five respondents had experienced a situation in the last four years where they did not act to protect their rights due to a lack of information.

“This fact shows a real urgent need for legal awareness and support,” Anna Khazan emphasizes.

In addition, as a result of the sociological study, the legal clinic team gained not only statistical data but also practical experience.

“From the field stage to the processing of results, we obtained a lot of quality data and drew important conclusions for ourselves. We also improved our skills in communicating with people, effectively building conversations, and processing large amounts of data,” notes Anna Khazan.

Housing restoration: research in the Sumy community

The specialized legal clinic on war-related issues at Sumy State University (hereinafter referred to as SumSU) investigated the issue of access for residents of the Sumy community and district to mechanisms for recording damages and obtaining compensation for damaged/destroyed housing. The research was conducted under extremely difficult conditions.

“It was work in conditions that are difficult to overestimate in terms of complexity: constant power outages, systematic communication interruptions, technical failures when filling out electronic questionnaires due to sudden power cuts. Each survey required not only methodological skill, but also real resilience and creativity,” says Kateryna Yeroshenko, an expert in applied research on access to justice.

The team used a comprehensive approach, combining several data collection methods:

• analyzed open sources on procedures for recording losses;
• surveyed more than 300 residents of affected areas of the community to find out about their level of awareness of compensation mechanisms and the main obstacles to their use;
• conducted in-depth interviews with key participants in the process — the head of the Sumy district community, a representative of the prosecutor’s office, a lawyer from a partner NGO, and victims whose property was damaged or destroyed as a result of the full-scale war.

“In addition, experiments were conducted with digital services, in particular the Diya platform and electronic registries. The case studies were prepared based on appeals to lawyers from the Northern Human Rights Group and demonstrate the practical difficulties and technical limitations of reporting damaged housing through the Diya platform,” adds Natalia Yesina, mentor at the legal clinic.

A team of clinic teachers and students worked on the study together with partner NGOs: the Northern Human Rights Group and the Council of Internally Displaced Persons of the Sumy Community. The latter helped organize interviews and establish communication with affected residents. Through joint efforts, they managed to identify key problems in the community.

“We saw that people are unaware of local support programs for those whose homes and property have been destroyed. So, we need to spread the word about this. We also realized that we need to advocate for victims to be included in certain categories of the International Register of Damage so that they can receive assistance,” says Lyudmila Rudenko, head of the Sumy State University Legal Clinic.

According to Lyudmila Rudenko, the team was struck by the study’s finding that only a small percentage of victims ultimately reach the stage of applying for compensation under state or local programs. This indicates significant barriers in the system that need to be removed as soon as possible.

“I am pleased with how the study went and how the whole team worked. In a short period of time, under the constant threat of shelling and without electricity, we managed to accomplish a tremendous amount of work. Given the results, as a human rights activist, I would very much like to see the approaches to informing victims become more understandable and accessible,” shares Natalia Yesina.

The legal clinic is planning its next steps.

“Thanks to the research, we now understand where to focus our attention, what topics to prepare and distribute legal awareness materials on, which communities are more active, where the most housing certificates have been issued, and what needs to be done to help people in the process of obtaining inspection reports for destroyed housing. We intend to work on the legal education component and on advocating for the availability of information about obtaining compensation at the local level,” summarizes Lyudmila Rudenko.

The practical and value-based significance of sociological research

In the process of conducting sociological research, all three legal clinics demonstrated a high level of motivation and professionalism.

“These are highly motivated teams that understand the value of an evidence-based approach in planning their work. Their professionalism, openness to cooperation, and willingness to invest time and effort in the research process were truly impressive,” notes Kateryna Yeroshenko.

“The team from Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University proved to be very independent and strove to do everything as autonomously as possible. They were also the first to finish collecting data. The team from Sumy State University, on the other hand, started last but managed to complete a huge amount of work in a short period of time, using three data collection methods at once: surveys, in-depth interviews, and experiments. The team from H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University worked methodically and thoughtfully throughout the entire process,” sociologist Marina Shpiker shares her observations.

The biggest challenge was selecting respondents, especially for face-to-face surveys. Several factors had to be taken into account: the specifics of the target audience (people aged 55+ who have suffered from the war often have limited mobility), geographical features (Kharkiv and Sumy are located near the zone of active hostilities), and methodological difficulties in ensuring the representativeness of the sample in conditions where a significant part of the population had been evacuated.

Marina Shpiker, a sociologist working on the project, emphasizes the importance of this work.

“I helped legal clinics develop the questionnaire, including its online version. The teams did most of the work on formulating the questions, and I made some suggestions. Before that, I conducted a series of training sessions for them on the principles of organizing sociological research, and after collecting the data, I prepared an analysis of the results of quantitative surveys and questionnaires.”

Катерина Єрошенко виділяє п’ять ключових причин, чому дослідження юридичних клінік важливі.

1. Research forms the evidence base for advocacy. In Ukraine, discussions about legal education reform and access to justice are often based on assumptions or individual cases. Systemic data on the legal needs of specific communities, barriers to access to justice, and the effectiveness of different models of legal aid provision are precisely the empirical basis that is critically lacking for informed policy decisions.
2. Ensure the institutional development of legal clinics. By understanding the profile of their target audience, the specifics of their legal problems, channels of information, and level of legal awareness, clinics can strategically plan their work, develop targeted legal education programs, and optimize service delivery formats.
3. They are important for documenting the impact of war on access to justice. The specific legal problems of internally displaced persons, older people who have remained in frontline areas, and the transformation of legal needs in a state of martial law are a unique context that needs to be documented.
4. Research results can be used for fundraising and partnerships. Donors and partners value organizations that base their work on data, understand their audience, and can demonstrate the link between interventions and the real needs of the community.
5. These research model a new culture of work in the access to justice sector, one that values data, reflection, continuous learning, and adaptation. They demonstrate that sociological research is not a luxury for the academic community, but a necessary tool for any organization that strives to do its work well and with maximum impact.

This material was prepared as part of the initiative “Strengthening the Capacity of Legal Clinics to Provide Access to Legal Services in Communities in Ukraine,” implemented by the Legal Development Network with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine and financial support from the Government of Denmark.

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