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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
In September, the California Paraprofessional Working Group published its report and recommendations concerning a paraprofessional licensing program. The idea for such a program originated in a 2019 report that detailed the significant gap between the need for and availability of civil legal services in California; since publication, the state bar has made a variety of