IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, today announced that its CEO, David Yellen, has accepted the role of dean of the law school at the University of Miami. “I have deeply appreciated the opportunity DU gave me to lead IAALS,” said Yellen. “IAALS’ talented team does truly important work. I
Continue Reading IAALS Announces David Yellen to Step into Law Dean Position, Launches Strategic Assessment for Next Phase
Last week, IAALS gathered with our partners and friends for our 14th Annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner. We were thrilled to welcome people back in person after three years to celebrate this year’s Rebuilding Justice Award and Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award honorees, as well as recognize our collective efforts to build a more accessible, fair, and efficient civil
Continue Reading IAALS Celebrates with Partners and Friends at 2022 Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner
A federal statute, 36 U.S. Code § 113, designates May 1 as Law Day, and is intended to “celebrate the ideals of equality and justice under law” and to help cultivate “respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life.” In addition, each year the American Bar Associations identifies a suggested theme for Law Day events
Continue Reading Law Day 2022: Uneven but Relentless Progress
On February 24, IAALS co-hosted the fifth session of the Redesigning Legal Speaker Series, which explored the role of state bars in regulatory reform. “Redesigning Legal: Unified Bars and the Art of the Long View” featured a panel including:
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced today that it is launching Allied Legal Professionals. With generous support from the Sturm Family Foundation, this project seeks to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals nationally—to increase the options for accessible and affordable legal help for the public. Up
Continue Reading IAALS Launches Allied Legal Professionals in an Effort to Increase Access to Quality Legal Services and Help Reduce Barriers to Representation
Real, disruptive change is frequently discussed and predicted, but only rarely seen. Yet, we have certainly seen disruptive change over the past two years, in our country and the world at large—and in our justice system in particular. This momentum for meaningful change throughout our justice system must be maintained and effectively channeled.
IAALS is committed to ensuring that court
Continue Reading Justice in a Changing World: Read the 2021 IAALS Annual Report
IAALS is thrilled to announce that Dan Rodriguez, former dean and current Howard Washington Professor of Law of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, will join the organization as our scholar-in-residence for two weeks this April, with ongoing collaboration on our projects. “I got to know Dan when we were both law school deans in Chicago, and I’ve seen firsthand the
Continue Reading Dan Rodriguez Joins IAALS as Scholar-in-Residence
In March 2021, Minnesota joined Washington, Utah, and Arizona by implementing a legal paraprofessional program in an effort to provide effective access to justice for a broader range of low- and modest-income individuals. Following in Utah’s and Arizona’s footsteps, Minnesota is extending the scope of work legal paraprofessionals can provide beyond just family law to include landlord-tenant issues as well.
Continue Reading Minnesota’s Legal Paraprofessional Pilot Project Shows Early Successes
Last fall, IAALS launched the Paths to Justice Summit Series, a series of virtual convenings and webinars focused on the most pressing issues currently faced by our civil justice system, including the opportunities and challenges of the pandemic, access to justice, and inequities in our civil justice system and related public trust and confidence. The first four convenings and
Continue Reading The Paths to Racial Justice: Our Civil System Must Acknowledge Shortcomings and Take Concrete Action
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, announced today that it is awarding Rohan Pavuluri, CEO and co-founder of Upsolve, the second annual Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award. The award is designed to encourage and showcase innovators, risk takers, visionaries, and emerging leaders who bring a different perspective and a reform-minded approach to the improvement
Continue Reading Upsolve's Rohan Pavuluri Named 2022 Recipient of IAALS' Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award
The NCSC’s Court Statistics Project provides a first broad look at the effect the pandemic has had on state court filings, as detailed in its recently released “2020 Incoming Cases in State Courts Caseload Highlights.” The highlights reflect dramatic changes in incoming state court cases and case processing since the pandemic’s onset.In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, case
Continue Reading The Pandemic’s Impact on State Court Filings—and What We Can Learn from Filings More Broadly
This is my final expert opinion piece as the director of legal education and the legal profession at IAALS. After this month, I will be the new director of strategic initiatives at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), where in line with LSAC’s mission I will contribute to new and innovative ways to educate and train lawyers while opening the
Continue Reading The Past, Present, and Future of IAALS’ Groundbreaking Legal Education and Regulation Work
In Utah, victims of domestic violence and stalking no longer have to navigate the process of obtaining a protective order alone. For individuals who cannot afford or otherwise don’t want to hire a lawyer, victim advocates are able to tell victims which protective order to apply for, how to correctly fill out forms, and what they should expect in court. This
Continue Reading Utah’s Certified Advocates Partners Program Made Possible by Regulatory Sandbox
Last month, a bill was introduced in the Colorado Senate that would make text-message reminders to criminal and juvenile defendants required by law. Senate Bill 22-18 is an update to legislation first introduced in 2019, which required Colorado’s state court administrator to implement a court text-reminder program in district, county, and municipal courts by July 2020. Sponsored by Senator Pete
Continue Reading Text-Message Reminders from Courts Could Become the Norm in Colorado
After a year of collaboration and innovation, IAALS Board of Advisors member Andrew Arruda has completed his term as our first entrepreneur-in-residence.Arruda’s expertise and start-up mentality made him a natural fit for a more hands-on role at IAALS as we continually seek more innovative approaches to our work and how we can bring change on the ground nationwide. During
Continue Reading IAALS’ First Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Andrew Arruda, Leaves a Legacy at IAALS