Vision 2040 Summit

Our Vision 2040 Summit will bring together innovators from law, business, technology, academia, and the community to ask an urgent question: What must justice look like in 2040—and what will it take to get there?

The summit will challenge assumptions, spark collaboration, and chart a bold course for reform in the decades ahead—not just for IAALS but for all justice system stakeholders and leaders.

From vision to action, the summit will bring together today's leaders to shape tomorrow’s justice system.

For more information, please contact us at iaals@du.edu.

Agenda - Day 1

Welcome & Opening Remarks: Why a Vision Summit?

Brittany K.T. Kauffman, CEO, IAALS

The Shape of Things to Come: The Future of How We Live, Work & Connect

Advances in technology, demographic shifts, evolving workplace expectations, and changes in healthcare and human connection are already reshaping society in profound ways. We will continue to see significant changes to how people live, work, communicate, and engage with the world around them into the future. This opening conversation will bring together experts from outside the legal profession, ground the summit in the experiences and needs of people in the future, and invite us all to think beyond today’s assumptions and consider what tomorrow may require of our organizations, institutions, and society as a whole.

Emily Johnson, Managing Director of Research and Programs, Colorado Health Institute
Phyllis Resnick, Executive Director and Lead Economist, Colorado Futures Center
Moderator: Margaret Hagan, Executive Director, Legal Design Lab, Stanford Law School

The Next Era of Justice: Rethinking Systems for the Future

Building on the broader societal trends explored in the opening panel, this dialogue will examine how the justice system is evolving—and where it must continue to adapt in the years ahead. Featuring forward-looking leaders and innovators, the discussion will explore the opportunities, challenges, and choices that will shape the future of justice in an increasingly dynamic world.

Sonja Ebron, CEO, Courtroom5
Sateesh Nori, Chief Legal Futurist, LawDroid
Colin Rule, President and CEO, odr.com
Angela Tripp, Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts
Moderator: Jim Sandman, President Emeritus, Legal Services Corporation; Distinguished Professor of Practice and Public Service, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law

Interactive Roundtables: Justice 2040 – Designing the Future Together

Building on the trends and ideas explored in the opening sessions, attendees will work collaboratively in roundtables to envision the future state and identify the top challenges that exist in achieving such a vision.

Luncheon & Fireside Chat: Gray Rhinos, Black Swans & Silver Linings

As we navigate the current period of rapid change and uncertainty, leaders must learn to distinguish between the risks we can anticipate, the disruptions we cannot, and the unexpected opportunities that emerge along the way. Drawing on the concepts of “black swans,” “gray rhinos,” and “silver linings,” this fireside conversation will explore how forward-looking leadership, resilience, and innovation can help institutions prepare for high-impact challenges while remaining open to transformation and possibility.

Dr. Amy Zalman, Founder and CEO, Prescient
Moderator: Jeff Ward, Director, Duke Center on Law & Tech at Duke University School of Law

The Frameworks Needed for Transformational Change

In this dynamic presentation, a speaker from Recoding America will explore the framework behind their recent work on state capacity and institutional innovation. Drawing on lessons from systems reform and government modernization, the session will examine why institutions struggle to adapt, the barriers that stand in the way of meaningful change, and what is required to build systems capable of innovation in a rapidly changing world.

Andie Taverna, Senior Director, State Court Initiatives, Recoding America

Interactive Roundtables: Justice 2040 – Identifying the Levers & Designing the Conditions for Transformation

Building on the themes of innovation and institutional change explored throughout the day, participants will work collaboratively to identify key levers for change. They will examine the structures, relationships, leadership approaches, and conditions necessary to support transformation at scale. The session is designed to move beyond isolated solutions and toward a broader framework for sustainable systems change.

Group Dialogue: Looking Ahead Together

This closing dialogue will bring participants together to reflect on the themes, ideas, and opportunities explored throughout the day. Through an open and forward-looking conversation, attendees will share thoughts, remaining questions, and key takeaways.

Agenda - Day 2

Welcome & Morning Kick Off

Brittany K.T. Kauffman, CEO, IAALS

Interactive Roundtables: What Does Implementation Look Like

After a day focused on envisioning the future and exploring frameworks for systems change, this session turns to implementation. Featuring roundtable facilitators who are advancing change on the ground, the conversation will explore how bold ideas move from vision to practice and the strategies, partnerships, leadership approaches, and practical steps necessary to drive meaningful transformation within institutions and communities.

Innovation Highlights Session

Resourcing the Future

This session will bring together funders and philanthropic leaders to explore the role of funding in driving innovation, supporting experimentation, scaling successful models, and building long-term capacity for systems change. The conversation will examine how funders can help catalyze transformation, the critical need for more funding in civil justice reform and court innovation, and opportunities for growth.

Erika Rickard, Director, Courts and Communities, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Jennifer Bentley, Executive Director, Michigan State Bar Foundation
Bob Glaves, Executive Director, The Chicago Bar Foundation

Compassion as a Pathway to System Redesign

Having traveled to the edges of the system, explored the future, and co-created levers for change and implementation across the summit together, we now return to the heart of why we do what we do. We explore how compassion for oneself, for self-represented litigants, and for one another in this community is vital to reenvisioning and redesigning our system and bringing the future we wish into being. Universal compassion brings our vision into focus (i.e., meeting needs, rebuilding trust, and restoring justice) and supports and sustains our system change efforts.

Victor Quintanilla, Professor of Law & Val Nolan Faculty Fellow, Indiana University Maurer School of Law