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Rebecca Sandefur facts for kids

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Rebecca Sandefur
Nationality Chickasaw Nation, American
Education University of Wisconsin–Madison
Alma mater University of Chicago
Title Professor
Awards MacArthur Fellowship
Scientific career
Institutions
Thesis The Social Organization of Legal Careers (2001)

Rebecca Leigh Sandefur is an American sociologist. A sociologist studies how people live and interact in groups. She is a professor at Arizona State University. She also works with the American Bar Foundation (ABF). At the ABF, she started a project in 2010 to help people get fair legal help.

In 2018, Rebecca Sandefur won a special award called the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship. She received this award for finding new ways to help people who don't have a lot of money get legal support.

What Rebecca Sandefur Studies

Rebecca Sandefur's work looks at how people with lower incomes get legal help. She studies how they deal with problems like housing, jobs, or family issues. Her research shows new ways to solve these kinds of legal disagreements.

Helping People Get Justice

Professor Sandefur is a researcher at the American Bar Foundation. There, she leads a program focused on making sure everyone can get legal help. She also studies what happens to people after they become lawyers.

Understanding Social Connections

Rebecca Sandefur is also known for her ideas about something called social capital. This means the benefits people get from their connections with others. In a book chapter from 2000, she explained that social capital is about how these connections help people reach their goals. It's not just about having access to resources.

Rebecca Sandefur's Journey

Rebecca Sandefur studied at the University of Wisconsin. She earned her first degree there. Later, in 2001, she received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Her Ph.D. research was about how people's careers in law are organized.

Her Career Path

After finishing her studies, Rebecca Sandefur taught at Stanford University for nine years. She was a professor in the sociology department. Then, she became a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She also became a fellow at the American Bar Foundation. In 2019, she joined the faculty at Arizona State University.

About Her Life

Rebecca Sandefur is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. This is a Native American tribe.

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