Editor’s Note: Robert Southers, Director of the Franklin County Municipal Court Self Help Center and Dispute Resolution Department in Ohio, is the recipient of the 2025 Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award, which recognizes innovators who have made significant impacts early in their legal careers toward making our legal system work better for everyone. Southers will
At IAALS, philanthropic support is essential to advancing our mission of building a more accessible, fair, and efficient legal system. As we continue to deepen our impact through research, convenings, and national partnerships, we are excited to expand our development efforts with new expertise to help us sustain and grow our work.Last month, we welcomed
We at IAALS are deeply saddened by the passing of Daniel L. Ritchie, one of the founders of IAALS, Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Denver, and a businessman, philanthropist, rancher, and leader in the Denver community. Born in China Grove, North Carolina, Ritchie grew up during the Great Depression. Although he wanted to drop
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, proudly announces Sam Walker, Executive in Residence, Office of the Colorado Attorney General, as the recipient of its inaugural Founders Award. This honor is reserved for individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to IAALS and its mission to unlock innovations that
As we begin 2025, IAALS is poised to make our biggest gains to date as we work to bring better access to our justice system for everyone. We have laid the groundwork for innovations across many states and sectors of our system—due in large part to people like you, our partners and colleagues. Together, we
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, announced today that it is awarding Robert Southers, Director of the Franklin County Municipal Court Self Help Center and Dispute Resolution Department, the fifth annual Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award. The award is designed to encourage and showcase innovators, risk takers, visionaries, and
In November, IAALS held a two-day convening on Regulating AI in the Delivery of Consumer-Facing Legal Services, its fourth in a series of expert convenings designed to align industry leaders around strategies to unlock legal regulation. With the rapid development of generative AI, the legal space has been abuzz with questions about how lawyers
UPDATE: In the days following IAALS’ publication of this post, on December 9, Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Peter Welch (D-VT) proposed a resolution that would amend the U.S. Constitution to limit Supreme Court justices to 18-year terms. More information below.The Constitution authorizes United States Supreme Court justices to serve during “good Behaviour”; as a
The Constitution authorizes United States Supreme Court justices to serve during “good Behaviour”; as a practical matter, this has meant life tenure, given how rare legislative impeachment and removal are. Lifetime tenure has been the source of controversy in recent years, as the Court’s decisions and the off-bench activities of some justices have sent the
The regulatory sandbox modelA regulatory sandbox is a policy tool through which organizations can offer and test new models or services to assess marketability and impact, and to inform future policymaking while maintaining consumer protection. Regulatory sandboxes involve risk-based regulation and include one or more regulatory models. The regulatory sandbox model was first developed in
