Our Work & Impact

When a system works to meet the changing needs of the people it serves, engaging with that system becomes more efficient, affordable, and effective. Our work is leading to a more user-centric approach that benefits everyone who interacts with the courts. Over the last twenty years, IAALS has:
 

• Developed widely implemented recommendations and reforms to improve discovery and motions practice in state and federal courts to reduce cost and delay.
• Sparked the movement of innovation and pilot testing of court process improvements across the country.
• Led efforts to modernize case management as a core element of improving the administration of justice in our courts.
• Partnered on the national Civil Justice Initiative to develop and implement a framework for civil justice modernization to transform state courts.
• Provided key research and insights into successful change management to guide courts and scale change both locally and nationally.

“Within the court system, when complex processes are difficult to understand, burdensome to comply with, and psychologically taxing to navigate, this amounts to a quiet failure of the promise of justice. IAALS' work is an inspiring example of the kind of commitment necessary for improvement—a collaborative approach to court reform that recognizes process simplification as the primary driver of access to justice.”

— Rachael Zuppke
Research and Engagement Strategist, Better Government Lab  

Family justice demands an approach that reduces conflict, centers children, and helps families move forward—not one that deepens divisions. Our work reimagines how family cases are resolved so families are supported and empowered to thrive in their next chapters. Over the last twenty years, IAALS has:
 

• Defined the role of a successful family court judge and elevated the critical importance of this role within our system.
• Opened a first-of-its-kind out-of-court divorce center that served Colorado families and provided a model for ongoing national innovations to improve family justice.
• Provided foundational research into the experiences of self-represented litigants, alongside recommendations for improving how they navigate the system.
• Partnered on the national Cady Initiative for Family Justice Reform to develop and implement a framework for family justice system modernization to transform state courts.
• Advanced unbundled legal services as an essential model for lawyers to modernize their practices while also better meeting the needs of families.

“The Center and what IAALS has put together took away a lot of the dark and grey and coldness of divorce and it gave us a resource and a place to go to get things worked out in the most peaceful, collaborative manner that we could have.”

— Clients of the Center for Out-of-Court Divorce

Achievable and sustainable justice innovation requires strong judicial leadership. Our work in the judiciary is setting a new standard of high qualifications, accountability, leadership, and impartiality of judges secured through informed election processes. Over the last twenty years, IAALS has:
 

• Advised state legislatures, governors, and commissions on judicial policy, focusing on an independent, apolitical, and accountable judiciary.
• Joined forces with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to create the O’Connor Judicial Selection Plan, her legacy project to ensure judicial independence.
• Led the national effort to encourage states to adopt and modernize judicial performance evaluation for the improvement of judges as well as public trust in our courts.
• Developed key recommendations and best practices on judicial discipline and recusal systems that have improved state and federal processes nationwide.
• Equipped judicial leaders to respond to challenges, lead through crises, and advance innovations in their court systems.

“IAALS is helping states refine their JPE programs so they are not only credible and constructive, but also trusted by judges and the public alike. This is about strengthening democracy by ensuring our courts remain fair, independent, and accountable.”

— Susanne DiPietro
Executive Director, Alaska Judicial Council; Member, JPE 2.0 Task Force

When education and licensure systems focus on minimum competence, professional skills, and public protection, the legal profession becomes more effective, accessible, and responsive. We are advancing evidence-based reforms to realign with modern practice, and building systems that prepare lawyers for the work they will actually do. Over the last twenty years, IAALS has:
 

• Partnered with dozens of law schools and educators to improve practice readiness and professional identity through experiential learning.
• Provided first-ever insights into the collective foundations that new lawyers need to be successful, and models for realigning legal education and hiring.
• Defined minimum competence to practice law, paired with recommendations on how to improve legal licensing beyond an antiquated bar exam.
• Provided key research on alternative pathways to licensure and advised states nationwide on modernizing how we assess lawyers’ readiness to practice law.
• Launched an interactive employment rate calculator to give prospective law students the most transparent information available about law school employment outcomes.

“Practicing law already looks very different than it did a decade ago, and there’s much more change to come. IAALS is defining what lawyers need to be successful and building a framework the entire profession can stand behind.”

— Jordan Furlong
Principal, Law21

A modern legal profession requires regulation that protects the public while enabling innovation. When rules are designed around outcomes rather than tradition, the legal services ecosystem can grow. We are advancing evidence-based reforms that unlock legal regulation and extend access to justice. Over the last twenty years, IAALS has:
 

• Provided critical insights into the skills and qualities clients value in the lawyers they hire, refocusing the legal profession around the clients they serve.
• Developed a new model for the risk-based regulation of legal services, which has been implemented in Utah and serves as inspiration for innovations across the country.
• Created an international network of lawyers and legal providers focused exclusively on the legal needs of the overlooked middle class.
• Served as the national leader in the adoption of a new tier of allied legal professionals, providing best practices and tactical assistance for the growing number of state programs.
• Led the development of recommendations for regulating the use of AI in the delivery of consumer-facing legal services to guide the legal profession in a time of rapid change.

“The expense of lawyers forced me to delay getting divorced for years. After finally finding an affordable option, we could move on with our lives. So many people like me in the middle class are stuck and need help. The Above the Line Network is doing something about it and making affordable lawyers more available for everyone.”

— Client of ATLN Lawyer Member