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As the end of 2020 approaches, IAALS remains committed to providing real solutions to the challenges people face on the road to justice, including systemic challenges due to racial bias and new challenges we face due to COVID-19. This year has been a tough one for all of us, but we are proud to still have accomplished so much. Together, we:
- Convened hundreds to discuss and strategize ways to expand the accessibility of legal services
- Created discovery protocols to help businesses and insurance companies more quickly settle pandemic-related claims
- Launched the largest-ever survey of its kind to explore justice needs in the U.S.
- Published recommendations for reforming the bar exam and reframing how we license lawyers
We couldn’t do our work—especially now—without the tireless support of our partners, colleagues, and friends. All of us here at IAALS hope you have a restorative holiday season, and we’ll see you in the new year.
Sam Walker, Interim Executive Director
December 2020
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| Pandemic Spurs Innovation from Courts and Legal Service Providers: IAALS has released a new report, which showcases the innovation occurring in courts, self-help centers, legal aid centers, and law/public libraries throughout the country to address the needs of self-represented litigants in the midst of a global pandemic. |
Expert Opinion: Addressing the Digital Divide in a Virtual World: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned to operate almost wholly online—something that many thought was impossible. However, while this move has brought with it a number of positive effects, it has also exposed a digital divide that must be addressed in order for there to be equity in our justice system.
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| 2020 Judicial Elections Bring Less Tumult, But Still a Few Surprises: On the whole, 2020 was a quiet time for state judicial elections, at least in comparison to recent years. Fewer sitting judges were directly targeted for removal, and most of the efforts to oust judges failed at the ballot box. But even quiet years have standout moments, and the recent election cycle brought several noteworthy developments. |
Haircuts, Pulling Teeth, and Reregulating Law: It’s time that the delivery of legal services reflected the reality of innovation and progress we see in every other field—medical, financial, engineering, and everything in between—giving everyone greater access to legal services.
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| Be sure to read all of the news from IAALS on our blog. |
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| 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. |
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 | Since 2006, IAALS has been bringing together viewpoints on all sides to develop new projects informed by research and, most importantly, successfully tackling issues that mean the most to the most people.
Simply put, IAALS is helping close the access to justice gap faced by a majority of Americans—a problem that urgently needs your support, now more than ever.
Please consider making a donation before the end of the year. As an independent, nonpartisan, nonpolitical nonprofit, IAALS relies on the support of those who share our vision for a more equitable, accessible justice system for all. | |
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 | Join IAALS and the Sturm College of Law on December 9 from 10–11 a.m. MST for a virtual talk with Dan Rodriguez, former dean of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, on why our balkanized system of professional regulation makes it much more difficult to meet the demand for legal services, and how states can join together and offer more legal services to those in need without opening up the public to the risk of harm.
Free registration is now open. |  |
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