News & Updates

For states looking to implement or improve an allied legal professional program, IAALS' new report provides best practices regarding considerations like in-court representation; eligibility, education, and practical training; and testing.

A recent poll revealed that many judges are comfortable with self-represented litigants—but still face significant challenges. IAALS has tools to help judges adapt to changing norms and ensure fairness, fostering a respectful courtroom experience.

For states looking to implement or improve an allied legal professional program, IAALS' new report provides best practices regarding considerations like titles, practice areas, roles and responsibilities, and attorney supervision.

Each state with an allied legal professional program has its own unique qualifications to become licensed, but one thing all programs share is that the requirements are robust. Data shows ALPs competently handle legal tasks and prioritize consumer protection, ultimately increasing access to justice.

The largest regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales recently published a report examining the potential of unbundled legal services to improve access to justice, citing benefits to lawyers and their clients.

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.

Divorce is complex and emotionally challenging, with state-specific waiting periods exacerbating delays. Simplifying the process and prioritizing individual agency and safety are crucial for a more equitable family law system.

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.

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.

Design Your Law Practice: Using Design Thinking to Get Next Level Results is a one-stop resource for law firm owners to learn the basics of design thinking and prepare them to immediately apply these approaches to their own practices.

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.

In October, IAALS continued the Redesigning Legal Speaker Series with a panel diving into into the innovative and creative changes judges have applied to make courts more accessible.

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.

IAALS submitted this comment to the Colorado Supreme Court in support of the Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals Program. The program would authorize paraprofessionals to provide limited legal services in family law without attorney supervision.

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.

The challenges we face continue to upend our lives. But we cannot go back, so instead we must forge a better future. Our work in 2021, as described in our Annual Report, has moved the needle and opened new doors for those in need of justice.

In 2021, Minnesota implemented a legal paraprofessional program to provide increased access to justice for a broader range of low- and modest-income individuals. So far, there are multiple signs that these paraprofessionals bring positive change to the profession.

Our final two Paths to Justice events, focused on racial justice, brought together diverse perspectives and partners to engage in a dialogue around inequities in our civil justice system and how it relates to public trust and confidence. IAALS has published two issue papers highlighting outcomes and key takeaways for the paths forward.

Last month, a bill was introduced in the Colorado Senate that would make text-message reminders to criminal and juvenile defendants required by law. More and more, courts are embracing technology as a way of keeping people navigating the justice system up to date.