News & Updates

In late September, the Indiana Supreme Court announced the creation of the Indiana Innovation Initiative. One of the initiative’s two subgroups, the Family Law Taskforce, will consider the Family Justice Initiative Principles supported by IAALS in order to improve the way Indiana’s courts handle domestic relations cases.

Online dispute resolution platforms have existed for over two decades and have carved out an important and expanding role in the legal landscape. The 2019 International ODR Forum was held last month in Virginia, during which IAALS team members participated in discussions about the future of ODR.

We at IAALS are among the many saddened by the untimely passing last week of Mark Cady, Iowa's Chief Justice. He had served as a judge for some 33 years, during which time he defended the importance of judicial independence and civic education as well as worked tirelessly to improve our nation's state family courts. 

The legal system has been regulated so tightly that it has led to a world where only a fraction of the citizens who require legal services can access them, and we cannot afford to fail those who cannot afford legal representation. Unlocking legal regulation is the answer and stands at the heart of the worthy efforts underway in states across the country.

Colorado's first federal pro se clinic, which opened in June 2018, was recently approved to continue its work offering limited-scope individual services. The clinic's goal is to help unrepresented people navigate the complex federal court system in cases involving civil rights, labor and employment law, contracts, personal injury, and other areas of federal and state law.

In partnership with national experts, IAALS has developed three new guides to support real change in state courts. Stemming from our work on the Civil Justice Initiative and Family Justice Initiative, the guides are designed to assist in creating effective self-help information for those who need it, developing problem-solving approaches for families in court, and providing insight for judges who interface with self-represented litigants.

Last month, the University of Pennsylvania Law School announced the launch of their Future of the Profession Initiative. The initiative aims to “Teach, Lead, and Transform” by looking at ways law schools can “adopt a holistic vision” for the formation of lawyers, both during law school and on through their careers. 

In response to the Conference of Chief Justices' Call to Action, the Oregon Supreme Court's Civil Justice Improvements Task Force has supplied dozens of recommendations for improving civil justice, including ways to better protect consumer debt defendants. In August, Oregon implemented new procedures for tracking consumer debt collection cases and directing consumer debt defendants to the Oregon Courts website for questions and support for their case.

The American legal profession is at a crossroads. We cannot continue to expect people to confront legal problems without legal advice. IAALS’ new Unlocking Legal Regulation project is taking a bold step forward and laying the foundation for a consumer- and people-centered legal regulatory system that opens the door for more service providers, more legal services, and more sustainable practices in the marketplace.

What is it that clients value in, and want from, their lawyers? How does a lawyer meet the requirements of their clients? This information has traditionally been gathered informally and only shared internally within offices that collect client feedback. To address this gap in our understanding, IAALS partnered with Avvo to create Think Like a Client. This report uses an evidence-based approach to illuminate clients' preferences, needs, and expectations when working with their attorneys, providing valuable and much-needed insight into how lawyers can better serve their clients.

Limited legal license programs, such as the one in Washington state that NCSC is beginning to evaluate this month, can effectively contribute to the expansion of the way legal services are delivered. However, their success may be hampered if they are weighed down by excessive limitations and restrictions.

In one of the United States Courts' latest "Court Shorts" videos, nine federal judges discuss the rule of law and its role in both the justice system and our daily lives. One after another, the judges make it clear that the rule of law is a foundational part of our legal system—and our lives as Americans.

Pro bono work, while worthwhile and commendable, cannot supplant for the need for a significant change in the way our legal system is regulated. 

October 20–26 is the National Celebration of Pro Bono, and over a dozen districts across Colorado are offering a legal resource day or pro bono services sometime during the week. Additionally, probono.net offers a comprehensive list of events and services being offered nationally.

In two promising developments for regulatory reform, the Arizona Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services published its official report and recommendations, and the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation announced the creation of a task force to identify regulatory reform recommendations. Arizona's recommendations reflect IAALS' vision for a consumer-centered regulatory system that will better meet the needs of all people. 

IAALS submitted this comment to the California State Bar Task Force on Access Through Innovation for Legal Services (ATILS) as part of its request for public comment on its tentative regulatory recommendations for enhancing the delivery of, and access to, legal services. Through our Unlocking Legal Regulation project, which is launching soon, we are partnering with Utah to bring bold innovation to the realm of legal regulation and the provision of legal services.

Alternative dispute resolution is becoming increasingly more prevalent in New York state civil courts, and New York recently announced a renewed commitment to ADR. Legal professionals believe ADR, and in particular mediation, could have a dramatic improvement in some areas of family law, including expediting divorce proceedings and—perhaps most significantly—decreasing the emotional havoc that divorce can wreak on both parties and their children.

NCSC's 2019 Trends in State Courts explores various ways to make state court processes both more user-friendly and relevant, from newly developed apps providing people with access to legal advice to remote technology options providing better access to justice for self-represented litigants. 

The legal profession is facing an unprecedented crisis in serving the needs of people with legal problems. If ever we needed an era of regulatory reform, now, during the age of technological disruption, is the time. California, Arizona, and Utah are all taking bold action—and IAALS is in the thick of it.

On Saturday, IAALS hosted its Pass the Gavel Dinner, celebrating Becky Kourlis as she stepped down from her 13-year tenure as IAALS' executive director as well as welcoming Scott Bales  into the position.