IAALS Honors Task Force Dedicated to Reshaping the American Civil Justice System
Last week, IAALS honored the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) Task Force on Discovery and Civil Justice at the 8th Annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner in downtown Denver.
With profound gratitude, we recognized the dedication of the Task Force in literally jump-starting a nationwide movement to reform the American civil justice system. Our partnership with them over the last eight years has returned dividends, with movement now underway across the country to help make the process less expensive, less prolonged, and more efficient for everyone involved.
“My gratitude is boundless for who they are and the commitment that they have made. It's been an honor, a pleasure, a privilege to work side-by-side with them,” said IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis. “We never would be where we are in this civil justice reform movement without the Task Force.”
The Task Force partnership with IAALS has resulted in several publications, recommendations for improvement, and pilot projects across the country that experiment with changes to make the civil justice system more accessible, affordable, and just.
Task Force Chair Paul Saunders is proud of the impact the Task Force has had, but said the work is far from over. “The legacy of the work that we did will be continued discussion and debate and, ultimately, changes in the system.”
For more on the latest IAALS and ACTL Task Force recommendations that are circulating nationwide, click here.
Photo: IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis, Paul Saunders, Hon. Ann Frick, and ACTL President Fran Wikstrom.
Dive Deeper
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 that we champion as we work toward building a legal system that is accessible, fair, reliable, efficient, and accountable.
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. Learn more about our 2026 dinner.
In 2026, during our 20th anniversary year, IAALS is proud to recognize five individuals who each embody one of our five core values:
- Question the Status Quo: Dave Byers, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, Arizona Supreme Court
- Let Data Guide the Way: William C. Hubbard, Dean and Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
- Center the People: Stacy Rupprecht Jane, Director, Innovation for Justice (i4J)
- Find Common Ground: Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht (Ret.), Supreme Court of Texas
- Set Our Sights on Tomorrow: Sateesh Nori, Senior Legal Innovation Strategist, Just Tech LLC
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:
- 2026: Elisa "Emo" Overall
- 2025: Robert Southers
- 2024: Eduardo Gonzalez
- 2023: Ariadna M. Godreau-Aubert
- 2022: Rohan Pavuluri
- 2021: Anna Carpenter
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:
- 2025: Sam Walker
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 that we champion as we work toward building a legal system that is accessible, fair, reliable, efficient, and accountable.
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. Learn more about our 2026 dinner.
In 2026, during our 20th anniversary year, IAALS is proud to recognize five individuals who each embody one of our five core values:
- Question the Status Quo: Dave Byers, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, Arizona Supreme Court
- Let Data Guide the Way: William C. Hubbard, Dean and Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
- Center the People: Stacy Rupprecht Jane, Director, Innovation for Justice (i4J)
- Find Common Ground: Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht (Ret.), Supreme Court of Texas
- Set Our Sights on Tomorrow: Sateesh Nori, Senior Legal Innovation Strategist, Just Tech LLC
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:
- 2026: Elisa "Emo" Overall
- 2025: Robert Southers
- 2024: Eduardo Gonzalez
- 2023: Ariadna M. Godreau-Aubert
- 2022: Rohan Pavuluri
- 2021: Anna Carpenter
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:
- 2025: Sam Walker