Robert Southers Named 2025 Recipient of IAALS’ Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, announced today that it is awarding Robert Southers, Director of the Franklin County Municipal Court Self Help Center and Dispute Resolution Department, the fifth annual Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award. The award is designed to encourage and showcase innovators, risk takers, visionaries, and emerging leaders who bring a different perspective and a reform-minded approach to the improvement of our legal system, and who are early in their legal careers.
Southers has been a transformative force in Ohio’s legal community. Under his leadership, the center has expanded its services to provide critical support for self-represented litigants navigating the complexities of the legal system. Southers’ efforts have helped tens of thousands of individuals access user-friendly legal resources and achieve fair outcomes, regardless of their financial means.
“Through his innovative approaches and unwavering commitment to service, Robert has empowered countless individuals to navigate the legal system with confidence and dignity,” said Brittany Kauffman, CEO of IAALS. “We need innovators, risk takers, and visionaries throughout our court system because of the critical role courts play in resolving people’s justice needs—and because of the current challenges of public trust and confidence in our justice system. We must identify gaps in the system, foster collaboration to address them, and do the work to make significant, deep, and lasting impact. Robert has done all of this to create sustainable solutions that bring real change to people’s lives. He exemplifies what it means to be a legal visionary and it is a great honor to give him this much-deserved award.”
In just seven years since graduating from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Southers has made remarkable strides in improving access to justice. What began as a one-year fellowship at the Franklin County Municipal Court Self Help Center, initially serving 732 people annually, has grown under his leadership into one of the nation’s most thriving self-help centers. Today, the Center supports approximately 30,000 people annually in Landlord-Tenant, General Civil, Debt Collection, Small Claims, and Record Sealing and Expungement cases. Southers has become a national and international resource for creating fairer and more accessible legal systems, thanks to his ability to build high-capacity, collaborative solutions.
Mary E. McClymont, Senior Fellow, Georgetown Justice Lab, praised Southers’ contributions in her nomination: “Robert embodies everything this award celebrates. He has the vision to see needed change and the leadership to make it happen, from creating innovative programs for unrepresented litigants to guiding court leaders nationwide. His expertise and quiet authority inspire real improvements in access to justice, reshaping systems locally and nationally.”
“This award means a great deal to me,” said Southers. “While my team and I do our work in Ohio, we are plugged in to the national recognition that our civil justice system must evolve to meet the demands of people today. To be recognized for this critical work by an organization like IAALS is an incredible testament to our shared commitment of making justice accessible to all. I am inspired by Alli Gerkman’s legacy and will continue to innovate solutions that improve our system and positively impact all who seek justice.”
IAALS looks forward to collaborating with Southers during the coming year to elevate his important work and further our common vision of ensuring everyone has a clear path to justice. He will be presented with the award at IAALS’ Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner on April 10, 2025. Tickets for this event are available for purchase now.
The award was created in honor of Alli Gerkman—a leader at IAALS and in national legal education and legal profession reform—who transformed the way our nation thinks about legal education and the role lawyers play in our society. A true visionary, Gerkman helped open the door to a fundamental reframing of how lawyers enter the profession of law and how the profession itself is regulated. After she passed away from cancer in 2019, IAALS created the award to honor her—and those visionaries who follow in her footsteps, like Southers.