This study focuses on three interrelated participant groups whose perspectives are essential for understanding predictive litigation analytics from operational, political, and community-based viewpoints. Examining these groups together allows the research to capture how predictive tools are designed, governed, and experienced across multiple layers of municipal decision-making.
This group includes city and county attorneys, paralegals, claims managers, risk management staff, and information technology specialists working within municipal legal offices. These participants provide insight into the day-to-day operational use of predictive litigation tools, including how such tools are selected, configured, and integrated into litigation strategy, settlement decisions, and risk assessment processes. Their perspectives illuminate both formal workflows and informal professional judgment shaping analytic use.
City councilmembers, county supervisors, and their policy staff represent the governance and oversight layer of predictive analytics adoption. Their perspectives help contextualize how budgetary priorities, procurement requirements, political considerations, and accountability mechanisms influence whether predictive litigation tools are adopted and how they are monitored over time.
Civil rights advocates, representatives of legal aid organizations, and community-based groups focused on algorithmic accountability provide external and equity-centered perspectives. These participants offer critical insight into transparency concerns, potential disparities, and the broader social consequences of data-driven litigation decision-making, particularly for marginalized and historically impacted communities.