News & Updates

The demand for affordable and accessible legal services is resoundingly clear. As allied legal professional programs gain momentum, they are undeniably reshaping the legal profession—even in the face of resistance from some attorneys.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is set to launch Innovation Lab, which aims to improve access to justice through technology integration, data collection, and collaboration. The Lab reflects a broader movement towards transformative approaches in the legal sector that emphasize evidence-based innovation and improved service delivery.

The legal community has varying opinions on regulatory reform, with some supporting, some opposing, and many unaware. As people explore this topic, they often encounter several arguments against reform—countered here with data and insights from other industries.

IAALS has released a report that includes multiple research-informed recommendations to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals across states, with the goal of increasing the options for accessible and affordable legal help for the public.

The Colorado Supreme Court has approved a program to license a new tier of legal service providers, who will be able to practice in certain types of family law matters such as divorce, custody, and protection orders.  

The North Carolina Justice for All Project, created in 2020 to expand access to justice through regulatory reform, is a testament to the power of advocacy and the potential for individuals to drive change.

Over the course of its history, IAALS has sparked undeniable momentum to change the status quo. Read more about our work to reshape our justice system in our 2022 Annual Report.

In Ontario, paralegals have established themselves to be competent legal service providers in many practice areas and are now entrenched in the legal services landscape. Here's what the United States can learn from our experience.

In January, the inaugural Legal Paraprofessional Summit brought together active and future legal paraprofessionals, as well as leaders from a number of states, to learn about the different components of each state’s ALP program and the steps Arizona took to create its program.

Allied legal professional programs have the potential to diversify the legal services market and create more cost-effective legal service models, and they should be created as an important part of a broader legal service ecosystem.

Natalie Knowlton, Zack DeMeola, and several other friends of IAALS made the ABA Journal's 2023 Class of Legal Rebels, recognizing their efforts to push the legal system and profession forward.

IAALS has released a landscape report along with an accompanying online Knowledge Center that offer a compilation and comparison of existing programs nationwide for establishing new tiers of legal professionals who can provide legal services to the public.

New research from Stanford Law School illuminates how regulatory reform efforts, including those in Utah and Arizona, are fostering innovation and increasing access to legal services.

IAALS has released Unbundled Legal Services in the New Normal, a new report highlighting key takeaways from the national 2021 conference, as well as a new resource center to help consumers, lawyers, and courts get how-to information on promoting and utilizing unbundled legal services.

In January, the i4j Program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law proposed expanding several legal paraprofessional programs to include a housing training certificate, equipping community members to provide limited-scope representation related to housing issues.

The American Bar Association Center for Innovation has released the inaugural issue of the Innovation Trends Report, which explores innovation within the ABA, in legal technology, and in legal regulatory reform.

The Oregon Supreme Court has approved a program that will license individuals who aren’t lawyers to provide limited legal services in family law and landlord/tenant issues. This makes Oregon the fifth state in the country to enlist a new tier of legal professionals in the effort to provide more access to legal help.

In May 2022, the Minnesota Supreme Court hosted a public hearing on several recommendations to improve the state's Legal Paraprofessional Pilot Project. Speakers in favor and opposition of the recommendations came together for constructive dialogue on tangible ways to improve the program and, ultimately, increase access to legal services.

This year, the ABA marks Law Day 2022 with the theme of "Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change." Today, we should reflect on the shortcomings of our justice system and worry about the threats to democracy and the rule of law. But we should also celebrate the strides that have been made and the promise ahead.

A new project will help standardize a new tier of legal professionals nationally. Allied legal professionals—similar to nurse practitioners—hold a key to bringing more accessible and affordable legal help where it is needed most. IAALS seeks to facilitate the adoption of allied legal professional programs around the country and assist states in making informed decisions on how to structure these efforts.