IAALS Announces 2025 Rebuilding Justice Award Recipient
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, announced today that it is giving its 2025 Rebuilding Justice Award to the executive committee and coordinating members of the Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) Committee: Judge Angela Arkin (ret.), Judge Adam Espinosa, Amy Goscha, Maha Kamal, David Stark, Judge Jennifer Torrington, and Jessica Yates. The annual Rebuilding Justice Award recognizes those who exemplify the spirit of innovation and leadership that IAALS champions as we work toward unlocking innovations that make the justice system more just—where everyone has a clear path to justice.
In March 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court approved a program to license a new tier of legal service providers. These LLPs will increase access to legal services for one of the largest segments of the access to justice gap—those who cannot afford a lawyer, but who also do not qualify for legal-aid assistance. This gap is especially felt in family law, which has one of the highest rates of self-representation. Colorado’s LLPs practice in certain types of family law matters, such as divorce, custody, and protection orders.
“Up and down the income scale, the legal needs of Americans are going unmet. However, allied legal professionals (ALPs), like Colorado’s LLPs, are addressing this problem head on,” said IAALS Director of Special Projects Michael Houlberg. “This new tier of legal service providers is rapidly spreading across the country and Colorado is helping blaze the trail, addressing the country’s critical access to justice crisis by making legal services more affordable and accessible.”
In June, the Colorado Supreme Court swore in the first class of LLPs in Colorado with much celebration and support for the role LLPs can play in meeting needs across the state. Colorado’s LLPs can complete and file standard pleadings, represent clients in mediation, accompany clients to court, and answer the court’s factual questions.
“IAALS is proud to honor these key leaders of the Colorado LLP Committee with this year’s award,” said IAALS CEO Brittany Kauffman. “Their perseverance in developing and implementing this program is a testament to their commitment to providing legal help to the millions of Coloradans who cannot afford an attorney, and they serve as role models to others in Colorado and around the country. Through this award, IAALS recognizes and champions the committees’ leadership, innovation, and long-standing commitment in support of ensuring access to justice for all. We also lift up and recognize the hard work of so many who made this accomplishment possible.”
The first recipient of the award was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.) in 2007. Over the years, IAALS has given the award to chief justices of state supreme courts, legislators, federal district court judges, legal educators, philanthropists, and others.
The 2025 Rebuilding Justice Award will be given on April 10, 2025, at IAALS’ 17th annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner in Denver. More details on the event, including tickets and sponsorship, will be announced shortly.