IAALS Awards

IAALS presents two awards annually:

  • Rebuilding Justice Award
  • Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award

IAALS also presents a Founders Award to individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to IAALS and its mission.

Rebuilding Justice Award

The Rebuilding Justice Award recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of innovation and leadership at the heart of our work to build a legal system where everyone has a clear path to justice.

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. Until 2012, the honor was known as the Transparent Courthouse Award.

The award is presented annually in April at the Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner.

In 2027, IAALS is proud to honor Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell, two judicial leaders from the state and federal systems who are reimagining how our courts work and how justice is delivered. 

Join us at the dinner in April 2027

Full list of past Rebuilding Justice Award recipients

Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award

The Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award recognizes innovators who have made significant impacts early in their careers toward making the American legal system work better for everyone. The award is designed to encourage and showcase innovators, risk takers, visionaries, and emerging leaders who bring a different perspective and a reform-minded approach to the improvement of our legal system. Candidates should be early in their legal careers to be eligible, roughly the first 15 years.

IAALS solicits nominations for the award between September 1 and November 1 each year. More information about the award, selection process, and nomination guidelines is available here.

Recipients of the Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award are:

Founders Award

The Founders Award is reserved for individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to IAALS and its mission to unlock innovations that make our civil justice system more just. The award celebrates transformative leadership, innovation, and inspiration akin to IAALS’ founders.

Recipients of the Founders Award are: