In their article, Partono et al. report the results of a mixed-methods study aimed at evaluating the organizational features of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) and their potential relation to overall quality of care and health outcomes for people living with HIV. The authors find that factors such as type of medical partner in the MLP (community-based healthcare organization vs. hospital system) and the colocation of legal and support services are associated with certain clinical outcomes such as greater appointment adherence and a greater reduction in viral load. This study is the latest in a series of efforts seeking to build the MLP evidence base and tie MLPs to meaningful, measurable health outcomes. The accumulation of empirical evidence evaluating the effectiveness of MLPs is an important trend in the literature.

In 2022, the Camden Coalition Medical-Legal Partnership began providing civil and criminal legal services to substance use disorder patients at Cooper University Health Care’s Center for Healing. This paper discusses early findings from the program’s first year on the efficacy of the provision of criminal-legal representation, which is uncommon among MLPs and critical for this patient population. The paper concludes with takeaways for other programs providing legal services in an addiction medicine setting.