Homepage | IAALS

Unlocking
Justice
Innovation

Foundations 2.0 is underway! Our Foundations work has compiled the competencies, skills, and characteristics new lawyers need to succeed, and we have created different pathways to improve legal education and legal hiring, working directly with law schools and law firms to implement best practices.

high angle view of people forming a speech bubble

People-Centered Legal Regulation: Grassroots Engagement with the Public

States at the forefront of legal regulation efforts understand that public engagement is a critical piece of the puzzle, but states have difficulties engaging with everyday people on these complex and nuanced issues. This project is developing strategies and tools that states need to facilitate meaningful public participation in these vital efforts.

Building a Better Bar: Capturing Minimum Competence

The legal profession has never had a clear, explicit understanding of the minimum competence needed to practice law and how it should be tested on the bar exam (or through other licensing approaches). Through this project, we have defined minimum competence and have new recommendations for how the legal licensing process—including the bar exam—must change to better serve the public.

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

Nomination Window Opens to Award the 2026 Legal Visionary

The IAALS Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award recognizes innovators who have made significant impacts early in their legal careers toward making the American legal system work better for everyone. The nomination window for the 2026 award is now open.

News and Updates

Research to Reform: IAALS Sets the Standard in CLEAR’s National Blueprint for Change

The Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR) recently released a high-profile report exploring why the legal profession is struggling to meet the needs of the majority of Americans. In this report, CLEAR points to multiple IAALS projects to support their recommendations, underscoring IAALS’ role in shaping national reform.

IAALS Charts a Bold Path for AI in Legal Services Regulation

IAALS' new report on regulating AI in the delivery of consumer-facing legal services outlines a clear and actionable framework for how the legal profession can respond to the rise of artificial intelligence tools already being used by the public to navigate legal issues.

pawns with connections to other areas and some without connections

New IAALS Report Sets National Vision for Allied Legal Professionals via Reciprocity

IAALS has released Building Bridges: Guidelines for Creating Reciprocity between Allied Legal Professional Programs, a first-of-its-kind report offering detailed recommendations for how states can enable ALPs to transfer their credentials across state lines.