News & Updates

Dedicated judges, attorneys, and court administrators have the power to establish justice in our modern time. By gathering the input of those who use the court system, who rely on it to decide some of the most important issues in our lives—like divorce and child custody—we help ensure that the courts function in a way that serves all of us.

Judges must be held accountable for conduct that violates their codes of conduct and governing laws. A recent Reuters report on judicial misconduct, while not quite comprehensive, is an important reminder that we need to know more about this topic that is arguably central to public trust and confidence and—more importantly—justice and the rule of law.

IAALS' Law Jobs: By the Numbers tool, an effort to provide a new perspective on law school rankings, will sunset in September 2020. The project was an integral part of our journey to our current work, empowering many across the country to build, analyze, and compare employment outcomes among law schools, with over 116,000 calculations being made since launching in 2013.

The public knows the reality of how the justice system functions today. It is we who are now catching on. The call has never been louder for court leaders and system stakeholders to accept and admit some hard truths. It is time that we look inward and take responsibility for those aspects of the system that are failing.

IAALS and HiiL recently launched the largest-ever survey of its kind as part of their US Justice Needs project. This survey will reach people across all regions of the United States, including urban and rural areas and people who have not historically been included, and seek to uncover their experiences in accessing justice when they need it.

Last month, the NCSC commissioned a survey of one thousand registered voters to gauge levels of public trust and confidence in the state courts. Many of the questions focused on the coronavirus pandemic and how respondents felt about remote court processes, protective measures for in-person courthouse appearances, and other new realities.

The California Board of Trustees is meeting today to consider the charter and composition of the Closing the Justice Gap Working Group. We at IAALS applaud the board for creating the working group and committing to move forward with important and innovative legal services solutions, but we strongly encourage them to significantly diversify its membership.

The legacy of racism that blights our criminal justice system also creates inequities in our society more broadly. IAALS joins others in this process of listening, reflecting, and recommitting ourselves to the goals of equity and inclusion, because they are central to our vision of a justice system that works for all people.

Unauthorized practice of law rules grant lawyers a monopoly on providing legal advice and prevent “nonlawyers” from providing any meaningful legal assistance. This mindset codified in the UPL rules, along with our country’s staggering racial wealth gap, have a chilling effect on Black Americans' access to the legal system.

IAALS has released a new report that reveals valuable insights into how the public views court systems and processes, judges and the judiciary, and information about the legal system. The report is the culmination of IAALS' two-year project on public trust and confidence in the courts. 

The Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation has published its final report, which is designed to assist the government in assessing the current regulatory framework for legal services in England and Wales and contribute to the momentum around new frameworks for regulation.

While the pandemic's disruption increases the need for systemic improvements, it also offers a distinct opportunity to achieve them. As we respond to COVID-19, we should learn from the new efforts underway and work to make long-term, fundamental changes. Let’s seize this opportunity to make the changes we need to provide justice we can believe in.

Last year, IAALS surveyed members of the American Board of Trial Advocates about their trust and confidence in the legal system and factors that influence their perspectives. A substantial majority of respondents reported high levels of confidence in both the state and federal court systems, but others gave us reasons for their declining confidence.

In mid-April, the Louisiana Supreme Court announced changes to its rules to increase public access to judicial discipline proceedings. With these changes, Louisiana joins the growing tide of states that are embracing transparency—a key component of IAALS’ recommendations for judicial discipline systems.

Law Day 2020 celebrates the centennial of the transformative amendment that gave women the right to vote. As we recognize this moment in our country's history, we also remember that the 19th Amendment has not translated to broader gender equality—and that our justice system, too, is not immune to claims of systemic inequality and bias.

In a recent article, IAALS Board of Advisors Member Jeremy Fogel challenges federal courts to use the data and information gathered through COVID-19-related emergency measures to evaluate and implement more modern court processes going forward. The federal courts’ remote technology response is unprecedented in its history, and they have a unique opportunity to seize on this change.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges to lawyers and law students alike. For many students enrolled in live-client clinics, the challenges of meeting their clients' needs in a transitional environment are particularly demanding. Yet these law students in clinical programs have a unique opportunity to rise to the occasion.

The United States of America leads the world in many areas of democracy, technology, economy, and culture, but what holds back American citizens from accessing justice when they need it? In times of extreme uncertainty, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, this is a critical question.

In January, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts' Family Court Review published an article highlighting the key takeaways, proposals, and results from last spring's Plain and Simple: Making the Legal System Accessible to All conference. The conference was directed at the immense need for plain language and simplification reform efforts, and was co-sponsored by IAALS.

On Thursday, March 12, the State Bar of California Trustees voted to postpone passing the motion to explore the development of a regulatory sandbox to May. In my eyes, every day, hour, or minute of delay leads to bad legal outcomes for Californians. Our legal system is in crisis. Now, as a community, we have to turn our kinetic access-to-justice energy into focused action.