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Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System

Justice we can believe in.

The Cady Initiative for Family Justice Reform

The Cady Initiative for Family Justice Reform involves assessing and implementing best practices in domestic relations cases, with the objective of improving the way family courts handle them nationwide—by making courts less adversarial, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of families involved in litigation.

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.

Foundations for Practice

Through empirical research, Foundations has compiled the competencies, skills, and characteristics new lawyers need to succeed. Now we are creating different pathways to improve professional development, legal education, and legal hiring, working directly with law firms and law schools to implement best practices.

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

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Recent News and Updates

girl looking frustrated while studying at nighttime

The Bar Exam Does More Harm than Good

The goal of any licensure process should be to make sure the public is protected from incompetence without serving as an artificial barrier to people entering the legal profession. Indeed, this is precisely what the bar exam purports to do. But does the bar exam actually do those things?

Event

Redesigning Legal: Legal Tech—Using Technology to Build Sustainable Practices & Expand Legal Services

As part of our Redesigning Legal Speaker Series, on August 24, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. MDT, IAALS and its partners will host a discussion on how lawyers and other legal professionals can help to solve access-to-justice problems using new advances in technology—while building sustainable practices at the same time.

Event

side by side headshots of Justice Deno Himonas, John Lund, and Anna Carpenter

14th Annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner

On Thursday, October 14, 2021, IAALS will host our annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner, which recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of innovation and leadership that we champion across all of our work toward building a legal system that is accessible, fair, reliable, efficient, and accountable.

lobby with tile floors, armchairs, end tables, reception desk, and floor-to-ceiling windows

The IAALS Effect on Hiring at Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell

At Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell, we’ve been fortunate to have a front-row seat to the outcomes and transformation that IAALS has achieved through Foundations for Practice. We collaborated with IAALS to survey our partners on the characteristics that they viewed as most essential for new associates to be successful at WTO, and the outcomes for retention and diversity have been exciting and encouraging.