I hope everyone's year is off to a great start. I returned last week from Washington, D.C., where I attended the Association of American Law Schools' Annual Meeting and otherwise met with several of IAALS' partners and supporters. At the Annual Meeting, I connected with leaders in legal education around the country and attended sessions on topics ranging from the empirical study of legal education to reforming the regulation of legal services. Participants acknowledged IAALS' work on Foundations for Practice and Unlocking Legal Regulation, reflecting the important impact of these projects.
In late December, I wrote a blog post reflecting on my first few months as Executive Director. Toward the end I briefly note my goals for IAALS, and as we begin the year I thought it appropriate to also share them here: to expand IAALS' role as a catalyst for improving our legal system, recognizing especially the challenges and opportunities presented by technology, economic changes, and our nation's growing diversity.
I look forward to our working together in 2020.
Scott Bales, Executive Director January 2020
Spotlight on US Justice Needs
Advisory Committee Launched to Support US Justice Needs Project: IAALS is excited to announce the creation of a new Advisory Committee in support of its US Justice Needs project, which is conducting research to assess the justice needs of people and businesses in the United States. The Advisory Committee will inform the work of the project, including assisting in tailoring HiiL’s individual survey for administration in the United States and developing a survey for businesses.
US Justice Needs Project Will Tap into Legal Needs for Business as Well as Individuals: Just as everyday people struggle with access to justice issues, so do small and mid-size business owners, with real ramifications for their businesses and their communities. Through the US Justice Needs project, IAALS will be surveying businesses, from small to large, so that we can better understand justice needs from their perspective—a first-of-its-kind undertaking.
Eldercaring Coordination: Alternative Dispute Resolution Focused on Elders: Eldercaring Coordination is an innovative dispute resolution process for high-conflict cases, providing an alternative to the traditional adversarial court process. By directly focusing on elders and their legally authorized decisionmakers, Eldercaring Coordination helps families work together to regain harmony and make decisions for the elder that all family members can agree on.
Be sure to read all of the news from IAALS on our blog.
Visit our Knowledge Center to track what's happening around the country and the world when it comes to legal regulation, as well as submit information and sign up for notifications.
December 16: "Could Re-Regulation Benefit Lawyers?" in 2Civility
December 10: "IAALS Examining Legal Regulation Link to Access" in Law Week Colorado
Noteworthy
Think Like a Client and Unlocking Legal Regulation were recently listed on the American Bar Association's Future of the Delivery of Legal Services resource page under "Important Thought Pieces & Developments." IAALS' Unlocking Legal Regulation project will benefit from work by Stanford Law School students in a class this spring titled "Can Opening up the Legal Services Market Increase Access to Justice?"
