20 Years of IAALS: Celebrating Two Decades of Reform and Innovation
Over the past 20 years, IAALS has built a national reputation for advancing bold, practical solutions across the judiciary, civil and family justice, legal education and regulation, and other areas of critical importance. We’ve convened leaders across the spectrum, cut through division with data and dialogue, and made reform not only possible but real.
When our founders—Daniel L. Ritchie, John E. Moye, Charles C. Gates, and Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis—started IAALS, they had a vision for an organization that would be both research- and action-oriented. There was, and still is, no other organization doing the integrated, system-spanning work of IAALS and equipping lawyers, judges, courts, and system stakeholders with research and innovations to make the American justice system more accessible for everyone. After 20 years, IAALS remains a steward of that unique role.
Our 20th year is more than an anniversary—it is a yearlong celebration of justice, innovation, and transformation. The year began with an anniversary party on January 14th at John Moye Hall on the University of Denver campus to celebrate our supporters and decades of accomplishments. The celebration will continue in April with the expansion of our flagship Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner to include a full-day forum where we will bring together justice system leaders and partners to engage in a dialogue regarding continuing challenges and opportunities as we look to the future of civil justice in the United States. We will wrap up this momentous year in October with our national Vision 2040 Summit.
Each event builds on the other: honoring the past, celebrating today’s leaders, and imagining tomorrow’s possibilities. Together, they form a powerful arc that mirrors IAALS’ mission itself: convening across divides, cutting through complexity, and centering people in the pursuit of bold, forward-looking reform. We can’t wait to keep celebrating with everyone who has made IAALS successful for the past 20 years.
Along with these celebrations, IAALS has multiple projects reaching exciting points in 2026. Work is well underway on the recently launched Uncomplicated Courts Initiative, a bold national effort to bring together high-volume innovation and catalyze reform efforts to fundamentally redesign how people move through our justice system. Our work on Foundations 2.0, a major update of IAALS’ original Foundations for Practice project, continues in earnest in 2026 after completing its survey of thousands of practicing lawyers in every field of law and every geographic and demographic sector to identify the key skills needed in today’s legal profession. We will continue to support the development of allied legal professionals as an integral part of the legal profession by collaborating with states to establish a unified title and create more reciprocity between states establishing their own programs. There is much to be done, but IAALS has been pushing the civil justice system forward for two decades. This moment requires the same effort, intensity, and collaboration IAALS has worked with since our inception.
To ring in the new year and our anniversary, IAALS has a revamped website to better share our work and connect with stakeholders and partners. We hope you explore the new site and find new ways to connect with our team, read our publications, partner with us, or donate to support this crucial work.
Justice has always stood at a crossroads. Through every generation, our systems have been tested. By division, by declines in trust and confidence, by the need to respond to our evolving world. IAALS is the constant in the storm, the light that remains whether skies are clear or dark. For 20 years, we’ve been rethinking and rebuilding justice with calm persistence and an unwavering belief that fairness, access, and accountability belong to everyone. That focus, that vision, and that work is more important than ever. We look forward to continuing that pursuit for the next 20 years.
Stay tuned throughout 2026 for reflections on our impact over the years and the path we are charting for the future.
