IAALS Releases Interim Evaluation Series on Utah’s Groundbreaking Legal Regulatory Sandbox

IAALS today announced the completion of its four-part interim evaluation series examining Utah’s Legal Regulatory Sandbox, including the release of a fourth and final report analyzing the broader social and economic value generated through the program during its first three years of operation.

The new Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis provides one of the most detailed examinations to date of the broader economic and social value created through legal regulatory sandboxes. The report is part of IAALS’ four-part interim report series examining the implementation, operation, outcomes, and impact of the Sandbox.

Launched by the Utah Supreme Court in 2020, the Sandbox allows nontraditional legal service providers and business structures—including entities with nonlawyer ownership or nonlawyer legal advocates and practitioners—to offer legal services under a risk-based regulatory approach. By allowing new models of service delivery while monitoring for consumer harm, the Sandbox seeks to balance innovation and public protection in legal service regulation.

“The Utah Sandbox has created a rare opportunity to study legal innovation in a real-world environment, and these findings provide important lessons for courts, regulators, and policymakers across the country,” said Logan Cornett, IAALS Director of Research, Legal Education, and Licensure.

The SROI analysis found that the Sandbox generated measurable social and economic value through increased access to legal help, reduced burdens on consumers navigating legal issues, and broader systemic benefits associated with improved legal problem resolution.

The four interim evaluation reports released by IAALS include:

• Sandbox Background and Evaluation Design Overview, providing context on the Sandbox and the evaluation framework used throughout the study.
• Process Evaluation, examining how the Sandbox was designed, implemented, and modified over time.
• Outcomes Evaluation, analyzing the entities operating within the Sandbox, the services they provided, and early indicators related to quality and impact.
• Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis, estimating the overall social and economic value generated relative to the investments made.

Among the key findings across the report series:

• The Sandbox experienced strong early growth and demonstrated demand for new approaches to legal service delivery. 
• The reports found growth in legal service delivery, while also noting that many innovations remained relatively low-risk and incremental in nature. 
• Early quality indicators were positive, with the evaluation highlighting opportunities to continue strengthening the evidence base over time. 
• The findings suggest the Sandbox made progress toward its core goals, including expanding access to legal services and supporting responsible innovation. 
• The reports also identified opportunities to strengthen governance, communication, and operational processes as the model continues to evolve. 
• Across the evaluation, early evidence suggests the Sandbox is generating measurable public value while offering important lessons for future regulatory reform efforts. 

“The Sandbox was designed as a structured pilot that allowed the court to monitor and refine the program over time,” said Nick Stiles, Appellate Courts Administrator for the Utah Judiciary. "Because the Supreme Court's data collection is for the purpose of regulating, rather than studying access to justice impacts, having an independent research partner like IAALS is essential to ensure the process is studied carefully and objectively." 

The reports emphasize that the Utah Sandbox remains an evolving initiative and that additional research will be important as jurisdictions continue exploring regulatory reform efforts aimed at addressing the nation’s access to justice crisis.

“These findings reinforce the importance of evaluating legal innovation using data rather than assumptions,” said Jessica Bednarz, IAALS Director of Legal Services and the Profession. “Millions of people in the United States still struggle to access legal help when they need it most, and policymakers need evidence about what approaches may responsibly expand access to legal services.”

The Utah Sandbox Evaluation is part of IAALS’ Unlocking Legal Regulation initiative, which focuses on increasing access to justice by expanding the ecosystem of legal service providers and delivery models while maintaining consumer protection.