• Image of Janet Drobinske
    Janet Drobinske
January 13, 2022
This comment was submitted to the State Bar of California in support of the proposed Paraprofessional Program, which would authorize paraprofessionals to provide legal advice in areas such as family, consumer debt, landlord/tenant, employment/income, and collateral criminal cases, as well as represent parties in court (excluding jury trials).
  • headshot of Merril Hirsh
    Merril Hirsh
January 6, 2022
Special masters can provide adjunct services to free up time for judges and court administrators—which has become crucial in the wake of the pandemic. But most people have very little experience with special masters or understanding of what they do. Think “Swiss army knife.”
  • Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
  • Image of Brooke Meyer
    Brooke Meyer
December 21, 2021
The second two Paths to Justice convenings and webinars, focused on access to justice, brought together diverse perspectives and partners to discuss how we utilize key data from our US Justice Needs survey to drive action and system improvement, followed by an issue paper highlighting outcomes and key takeaways.
  • Image of Kelsey Montague
    Kelsey Montague
  • Image of Maddie Hosack
    Maddie Hosack
December 15, 2021
IAALS, in partnership with the Denver Law Firm Coalition for Racial Equity, have published a report detailing best practices and recommendations to recruit, retain, and advance racially diverse attorneys. The report is the outcome of leaders across Denver’s legal community coming together to explore and identify sustainable, long-term DEI solutions, and the Coalition’s commitment to advance these shared goals across member firms.
  • Image of Natalie Anne Knowlton
    Natalie Anne Knowlton
  • Image of Zachariah DeMeola
    Zachariah DeMeola
December 13, 2021
Lawmakers in California recently spoke out against the state bar's exploration of regulatory reform as a means to address the access-to-justice crisis. However, the need for efficient and affordable legal services is growing exponentially—and data suggests that legal services innovation could a key part of the solution.
  • Image of Maddie Hosack
    Maddie Hosack
December 6, 2021
As America continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, some lawyers are noting an increase in divorce cases. Courts should be prepared to deal with these cases as quickly and efficiently as possible—and something that could aid their efforts is technology.
  • Image of Natalie Anne Knowlton
    Natalie Anne Knowlton
December 1, 2021
IAALS submitted this comment to the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors in support of the Proposed Oregon Legal Paraprofessional Licensing Program. The program would authorize paraprofessionals to provide limited legal services—without attorney supervision—in family law and landlord-tenant matters.
  • Image of Brooke Meyer
    Brooke Meyer
  • Image of Natalie Anne Knowlton
    Natalie Anne Knowlton
November 11, 2021
IAALS submitted this comment to the Michigan Supreme Court and the Lessons Learned Committee in response to the state’s preliminary report, Michigan Trial Courts: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic of 2020-21, Preliminary Findings, Best Practices, and Recommendations. The report highlights the common experiences that shaped the Michigan justice system throughout the pandemic.
  • Image of Zachariah DeMeola
    Zachariah DeMeola
  • head shot photo of Michael Houlberg
    Michael Houlberg
November 4, 2021
Under many states’ current regulatory framework, a lawyer is the only option when it comes to addressing legal issues. Fortunately, however, a number of states are looking beyond lawyers—to limited licensed paraprofessionals, lay advocates, court navigators, and other types of allied legal professionals—in order to close the justice gap. And that number is growing.
  • Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
  • Image of Brooke Meyer
    Brooke Meyer
November 2, 2021
The first two Paths to Justice convenings and webinars, focused on the pandemic, brought together diverse perspectives and partners to brainstorm lessons learned, identify continuing challenges, and inspire additional research. Out of those events, IAALS has published two issue papers highlighting outcomes and key takeaways.
  • headshot of Judge Elizabeth Tavitas
    Elizabeth Tavitas
October 26, 2021
In October, the Indiana Supreme Court published the Family Law Taskforce's final recommendations on how to make courts more efficient, less expensive, and easier to navigate in family law matters, with an emphasis in problem-solving, triage, training and stakeholder partnerships, and technology.
  • head shot photo of Michael Houlberg
    Michael Houlberg
October 21, 2021
Throughout 2020, we saw just about every aspect of the legal profession move from in-person to virtual services. There have been a number of horror stories but also plenty of success stories, in which technology helped decrease court backlogs and increased access to the courts. So where does this leave us, and how do we move forward?