Leading By Example: How IAALS Research Sets the Standard for Civil Justice Reform
When IAALS opened its doors at the University of Denver in 2006, empirical research was not yet central to many conversations about improving the legal system. Judges, lawyers, educators, and policymakers could readily identify challenges—from the cost of legal services to the complexity of court processes—but reform efforts were often shaped primarily by professional experience, intuition, and tradition. IAALS was founded on the premise that research could play a more meaningful role in understanding those challenges and designing responses to them.
Over the past two decades, that landscape has shifted considerably. Increasingly, efforts to improve legal systems are grounded in data, evaluation, and a deeper understanding of how legal institutions function in practice. IAALS has worked to elevate the role of empirical research in legal system reform—demonstrating how data, stakeholder perspectives, and rigorous evaluation are the bedrock for effective solutions—and to position research-related considerations at the forefront of discussions about system reforms. We have also benefited from the growing embrace of empirical inquiry across the legal system, as courts, regulators, educators, and policymakers have become increasingly interested in using evidence to guide decision-making and evaluate change. As approaches across the field have evolved over time, several principles have emerged that inform IAALS’ collective philosophy on empirical research in the legal system.
Start With the System as People Experience It
Historically, discussions about improving legal systems focused primarily on the perspectives of legal professionals. Those perspectives are essential, but they are only part of the story. Litigants, consumers of legal services, employers, and everyday people all interact with legal institutions in ways that directly shape whether those systems function effectively. Centering these perspectives in research can reveal important gaps between how systems are designed to function and how they are actually experienced in practice.
Incorporating user perspectives can take many forms throughout the research process. In some cases, it shapes the questions researchers choose to ask in the first place. In others, it influences how studies are designed, how findings are interpreted, or how the impacts of reforms are evaluated over time. This does not mean treating lived experience as a substitute for empirical rigor. Rather, it helps ensure that research reflects the practical realities of how legal systems operate in people’s lives. It can also challenge assumptions that may appear reasonable from within institutions but function very differently in practice.
Use Multiple Methods to Understand Complex Systems
Legal systems are complex. They involve layers of rules, institutions, professional norms, and human behavior, all interacting in ways that are not always easy to measure or predict. Capturing that complexity requires more than any single research method—it requires combining quantitative data with qualitative insights because each approach reveals different aspects of how systems function. Quantitative data can help identify patterns and trends. Qualitative research, including interviews, focus groups, and observational methods, can provide context about how policies and processes are experienced in practice.
Engage Institutions Throughout the Research Process
Another lesson that has emerged is that research designed to inform reform cannot happen in isolation. Courts, regulators, legal educators, practitioners, and other stakeholders are not simply subjects of research. They are essential partners in the process. Engaging institutions throughout a project can strengthen both the research itself and the reforms that emerge from it. Collaboration helps ensure that research questions are grounded in real-world challenges and that findings are relevant to the people responsible for implementing change. Institutions also bring forms of operational and contextual knowledge that may not otherwise be visible, including how policies function in practice, where implementation barriers arise, and how institutional cultures shape decision-making.
Design Research to Inform Action
Perhaps the most important lesson of the past 20 years is that research on legal systems is most valuable when it is designed with implementation in mind. Anyone who has worked in legal reform long enough knows the familiar pattern: a problem is identified, a task force is convened, and a thoughtful report is produced. These efforts can be important steps forward, but without ongoing research and evaluation, even well-designed reforms can struggle to produce lasting change. Policies and programs often function differently in practice than they do in theory, particularly once they interact with real-world institutional constraints, competing priorities, and human behavior.
Research designed to inform action recognizes that reform is rarely a single event. It is an iterative process that requires ongoing learning, testing, and adaptation over time. In this context, research does not end once a recommendation is made or a new program is implemented. Evaluation becomes an essential mechanism for understanding whether reforms are functioning as intended, where unintended consequences may emerge, and how systems can continue to improve.
This kind of research also supports more responsible innovation. Legal systems are increasingly being asked to respond to complex challenges involving technology, service delivery, access to justice, and changing public expectations. Thoughtful evaluation helps institutions confidently navigate these changes by providing evidence about what is working, what is not, and where adjustments may be necessary.
Why Being at the University of Denver Matters
IAALS’ location within the University of Denver has played an important role in shaping this research approach. Many of the challenges facing legal systems are not solely legal questions. Issues involving access to justice, legal education, court processes, professional regulation, and public trust often intersect with fields such as sociology, psychology, economics, public policy, and organizational behavior. Being embedded within a university creates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration that can deepen both the research itself and the reforms that emerge from it.
The university setting also provides access to research infrastructure that supports rigorous empirical work over time. Large-scale surveys, long-term evaluations, qualitative research, and complex data analysis all require institutional support and a broader research environment that values careful inquiry and transparency. These resources make it possible to pursue research that is both practically relevant and methodologically robust.
Finally, being part of a university helps strengthen the scholarly credibility of the work. Legal system reform often involves difficult questions with significant public implications, and research intended to inform those discussions must be grounded in intellectual rigor and empirical integrity. A university-based model helps support that credibility while also creating space for research that remains closely connected to real-world systems and institutions.
Looking Ahead: The Next Era of Legal System Research
Legal systems are entering a period of significant change. Emerging technologies, evolving models for delivering legal services, shifting public expectations, and ongoing efforts to improve access to justice are creating new opportunities—but also new uncertainties. As these changes accelerate, legal institutions will increasingly need to make decisions in environments where the impacts of reforms may not be immediately clear or easily predictable.
In that context, the role of research is likely to become even more important. The next era of legal system reform will depend not only on generating new ideas, but also on building systems that are capable of learning, adapting, and improving over time. Research and evaluation are essential to that process. They help institutions understand how policies and innovations function in practice, identify unintended consequences, and make more informed decisions about how systems should evolve.
For IAALS, the past two decades have reinforced the value of research that is empirical, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and grounded in real-world systems. The challenges facing legal institutions will continue to evolve, but the need for thoughtful, evidence-based approaches to reform will remain.
