Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Jess is a socio-legal and empirical researcher, specialising in issues of access to justice and family law.
Jess' current research interest focuses on the issue of self-represented litigants in family courts. In 2024, Jess was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council to undertake an empirical study into the procedural justice of 'uneven' family court hearings, which involve one party appearing as a self-represented litigant. This project builds upon a previous study undertaken in England and Wales which was the subject of Jess' first monograph, Litigants in Person and the Family Justice System (Hart, 2022).
Jess also undertakes a broader range of competitively funded collaborative research relating to the accessibility of legal systems and the legal professions in the UK and Australia. Key examples include:
- A co-authored monograph entitled Legal Aid and the Future of Access to Justice (Hart, 2023), which reports the findings of the largest ever census of legal aid practitioners in England and Wales.
- A commissioned study for the UK Ministry of Justice into 'blended advice', which revealed new methods of advice provision emerging in England and Wales' not-for-profit sector following the initial outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- An original research study on pricing practices in Victorian legal services undertaken in partnership with the Victoria Law Foundation and the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner.
Jess is Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation within the Faculty of Law. Externally, Jess serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Law and Society and the Australian Journal of Family Law, and as an executive committee member of the Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand (LSAANZ).
Research interests
Specific areas of interest include:
- Self representation and lay participation in legal systems
- Family dispute resolution
- Legal aid policy and governance
- Innovations in advice provision and legal support
- Understandings of legal need, legal capability and legal literacy
- Family violence and legal systems abuse
- Socio legal theory and approaches
- Empirical legal methods and qualitative methodology
Consulting
Jess has an established record of consulting with the public and third sectors in the UK and Australia across her research interests. Previously she has undertaken consultancy work for organisation including: The Access to Justice Foundation, The Ministry of Justice, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, and the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Leeds
Research area keywords
- Access to Justice
- Family Law
- Empirical Legal Research
- Socio-Legal Studies
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The Profession and the Pandemic: Legal Aid Lawyers in the Era of Austerity and COVID-19
Newman, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Cooke, E. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Mant, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Understanding Procedural Justice in Uneven Family Court Hearings
Mant, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
ARC - Australian Research Council, Monash University – Internal School Contribution
2/08/26 → 1/08/29
Project: Research
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Exploring Barriers to costs disclosure compliance, effective matter scoping and adoption of alternative pricing models – Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
Denvir, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Mant, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Grant, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McDonald, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Balmer, N. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Partington, A. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/11/22 → 31/03/23
Project: Research
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Litigants in Person and the Family Justice System
Mant, J., 2022, 1st ed. UK: Hart Publishing. 177 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › Research › peer-review
7 Citations (Scopus) -
We Are Legal Aid: Findings from the 2021 Legal Aid Census
Denvir, C., Kinghan, J., Mant, J., Newman, D. & Aristotle, S., Mar 2022, London UK: Legal Aid Practitioners Group. 109 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
Open Access -
Vulnerability, legal need and technology in England and Wales
Newman, D., Mant, J. & Gordon, F., Sept 2021, In: International Journal of Discrimination and the Law. 21, 3, p. 230-253 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile15 Citations (Scopus) -
The mysterious case of disappearing family law and the shrinking vulnerable subject: the shifting sands of family law’s jurisdiction
Mant, J. & Wallbank, J., 2017, In: Social and Legal Studies. 26, 5, p. 629-648 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
21 Citations (Scopus) -
Neoliberalism, family law and the cost of access to justice
Mant, J., 2017, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. 39, 2, p. 246-258 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
28 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Dean's Award for Research Excellence by an Early Career Researcher
Mant, Jess (Recipient), 2 Sept 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Dean's Award for Research Excellence by an Early Career Researcher (Highly Commended)
Mant, Jess (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
-
Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) (2025-2028)
Mant, J. (Recipient), 24 Aug 2024
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
Activities
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Journal of Law and Society (Journal)
Mant, J. (Editorial board member)
1 Apr 2021 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial responsibility
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Socio-Legal Studies Association UK
Jess Mant (Executive Member)
2016 → 2022Activity: External Academic Engagement › Professional association or peak discipline body
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Bristol University Press (Publisher)
Mant, J. (Editor in chief) & Newman, D. (Editor in chief)
1 Apr 2022 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial responsibility
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Executive Committee Member of the Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand
Jess Mant (Fellow)
1 Jan 2024Activity: External Academic Engagement › Professional association or peak discipline body
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Submission to Attorney General's Consultation on the Family Law Amendment Bill (No 2) 2023
Mant, J. (Fellow) & Batagol, B. (Fellow)
10 Nov 2023Activity: External Academic Engagement › Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
Press/Media
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Family law bill is a big step forward, but doesn’t do enough to address family violence
30/05/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Government’s family law bill is a big step forward. But it doesn’t do enough to address family violence
18/05/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature