Homepage | IAALS

Unlocking
Justice
Innovation

woman standing against arrows backdrop while someone else chooses a direction

Several new ways of licensing lawyers are already underway across the country, alongside a few well-established methods that are decades old. IAALS is evaluating the licensure landscape to understand each method’s effectiveness in assessing minimum competence and protecting the public from malpractice.

reviewing new person in the middle with magnifying glass

Allied Legal Professionals

Up and down the income scale, the legal needs of Americans are going unmet. Allied legal professionals hold a key to bringing more accessible and affordable legal help where it is needed most. Like nurse practitioners, allied legal professionals show great potential, and this project is working to grow these successful programs nationwide.

Unlocking Legal Regulation

Too many people cannot effectively access our legal system to protect their rights and resolve their disputes. But if we want to make legal services more accessible, we must re-envision how they are delivered. This project is about taking a bold step forward into a consumer-centered regulatory system—one that is competitive, broadly accessible, and better meets the needs of the people.

What We Do

IAALS is changing how our system serves people today, while anticipating and preparing for future needs—delivering justice all of us can believe in.

people gathered to improve the legal system

For the People

What good is the promise of “justice for all” if costs, complexity, and inaccessibility make it impossible for so many? Our system is designed to serve the people, so IAALS places them at the center of all we do.

dad and daughter walking into courthouse

Through the Courts

At IAALS, we’re identifying innovations that make the court system easier to navigate for everyone, while also helping courts increase efficiency, reduce procedural complexity, and make the most of the often limited resources they have.

With the Profession

The legal profession must evolve to put client and consumer needs first. IAALS is helping do just that—through improved legal education, better lawyer licensing, and re-regulation of legal services to make them more available and responsive to all.

We work across five broad areas of reform in our legal system:

Civil Justice Reform

Family Justice Reform

The Judiciary

Legal Education

Legal Profession

Explore Our Projects Read Our Recommendations See Our Impact

Recent News and Updates

News and Updates

a hand opening a door to an occupied conference room

Alternative Business Structures in the U.S.: What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn

Alternative Business Structures offer a promising, though still evolving, path toward expanding access to legal services in the United States. Early data from Utah and Arizona show encouraging signs, but critical questions remain.

person contemplating pathways leading to four different doors

IAALS Launches Groundbreaking Multi-State Study on Legal Licensure Reform

IAALS has launched Pathways to Legal Licensure, a landmark empirical study examining multiple approaches to attorney licensure across the United States. The project will assess how different licensure pathways measure and uphold minimum competency in the legal profession.

News and Updates

IAALS founders and CEO standing beside new tribute wall

A Legacy of Vision and Impact: Honoring the Gates Frontiers Fund

Transformative progress isn’t possible without visionary partners. At a special gathering, IAALS dedicated a permanent commemorative wall in recognition of the Gates Frontiers Fund's extraordinary support since our founding.

A judge conferring with two people in a courtroom

New National Blueprint Aims to Restore Trust in the Courts through Judicial Evaluation Reform

IAALS has released recommendations for modernizing judicial performance evaluation, including a set of reforms designed to help states strengthen judicial accountability, promote public trust, and ensure the courts meet the needs of today’s society.