IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, announced today that it is giving its 2025 Rebuilding Justice Award to the executive committee and coordinating members of the Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) Committee: Judge Angela Arkin (ret.), Judge Adam Espinosa, Amy Goscha, Maha Kamal, David Stark, Judge Jennifer Torrington, and Jessica
Over two hundred years ago, on September 17, 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution. Each year on this day, we celebrate Constitution Day and the establishment of our government and the guarantee of our rights.Over the last few months, I have had the great opportunity to attend a number of
A Justice System Overdue for InnovationThe modern era is defined by an accelerating pace of change—change that is increasingly complex and multifaceted. This environment necessitates proactive and creative responses to emerging challenges and speaks to a shift in culture. Questioning the status quo and improving systems is expected. And yet the status quo persists in
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, released Unlocking Legal Regulation: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Launching and Sustaining Regulatory Reform. This new report highlights results and recommendations on how legal regulation innovation can address the continued and urgent legal services gap faced by the
Community-based justice worker (CBJW) programs—programs that train and certify individuals working at community-based organizations to offer legal advice and services in certain case types—are sprouting up across the U.S. to help address the seismic gap in legal services. These models largely target low-income individuals and require modification of, exemption from, or waivers to unauthorized practice
IAALS is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award. The fifth annual award recognizes national innovators who have made significant impacts early in their legal careers toward making the American legal system work better for everyone. Nominations will be accepted through November 1, 2024, and
Earlier this month, the Texas Supreme Court took a significant step toward improving access to justice by giving preliminary approval to two programs—licensed legal paraprofessionals and licensed court-access assistants—both of which would allow professionals who are not attorneys to provide limited legal services to low-income individuals. These initiatives are critical for people who struggle to
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, is proud to announce the launch of People-Centered Legal Regulation: Grassroots Engagement with the Public, a pathbreaking project aimed at understanding and incorporating public perspectives on regulatory reform in the legal profession. This work addresses the critical need
Utah’s regulatory sandbox, which celebrates its fourth birthday this month, may soon welcome a new participant: a group of social workers helping people navigate debt issues. Utah State University’s (USU) Transforming Communities Institute’s Community Justice Advocate (CJA) Program aims to train social workers to provide limited legal services to individuals in consumer debt cases, a
July is Disability Pride Month, a reminder of the importance of ensuring that our justice system is inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of ability.Too many Americans have limited access to justice—including Americans with disabilities. For example, despite the ADA’s mandate for accessible public spaces, many courthouses and legal offices still fall short of
