Consulting & Partnerships
What it means to work with IAALS
When you partner with IAALS, you’re not partnering with a traditional consultant—you’re collaborating with a trusted, independent research institute rooted in real-world, people-centered impact.
We bring:
- Deep subject-matter expertise across the legal system
- Data-driven insights grounded in empirical research
- Neutral convening power to bring diverse stakeholders together
- Practical implementation support that moves ideas from theory to action
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Interested in partnering with IAALS or retaining our team for consulting support?
Together, we can build a justice system that works better—for everyone.
Our work is shaped by one guiding principle: lasting justice innovation happens through collaboration.
Areas of expertise
IAALS partners across the justice ecosystem in several core areas, including:
Innovation powered by partnership
Many of IAALS’ most influential projects were made possible through close collaboration with external partners:
- Foundations for Practice reshaped how law firms and employers think about entry-level hiring by aligning expectations between legal education and the profession.
- Following a survey of 24,000 lawyers nationwide, IAALS partnered with law schools at Columbia, University of Denver, Northwestern, and Seattle University along with 36 leading law firms and businesses including Molson Coors and Starbucks to refine guidance for better legal training and better legal hiring.
- Modern Judicial Performance Evaluation emerged from extensive collaboration with judges, states, and national leaders to modernize evaluation systems.
- IAALS is the go-to group for research, recommendations, and practical assistance in the JPE field, including facilitating a Colorado summit with 35 state leaders to update state policy as well as evaluating Nebraska's JPE program to make it even stronger.
- Our Allied Legal Professionals work has helped states explore sustainable pathways to expand access to legal services through new professional roles.
- Our framework and recommendations are central to efforts across 18 states with programs or planning underway, and IAALS facilitates periodic convenings of key program stakeholders to build uniformity and visibility.
Each initiative reflects IAALS’ role as both thought partner and implementation guide.
What our partners are saying
Partnering with IAALS on the Foundations for Practice work fundamentally reshaped how we think about identifying and hiring talent. The data-driven insights helped us clarify the characteristics that truly predict success, improve retention, and increase diversity across our associate class. We encourage other firms to embrace this approach. Hiring based on proven foundations makes your process more objective, equitable, and aligned with the long-term success of your lawyers.
— Kathryn A. Reilly
Firm President, Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP
IAALS leads innovation from outside the traditional circles. It is focused on practical change and on-the-ground solutions in a way that other organizations are not. That is the market differentiator.
— Edward R. Hartman
Partner and Board Member, Simon-Kucher & Partners; Co-Founder, LegalZoom
The Nebraska State Bar Association values its collaboration with IAALS. The evaluation’s purpose is two-fold: to provide each judge with a continuing assessment of their strengths and areas for improvement, thereby enhancing the overall quality of the judiciary; and to help the public better understand Nebraska’s merit system for the selection and retention of judges by providing information useful in making informed decisions about judges standing for retention. Together with IAALS, we modernized our judicial evaluation program to ensure it reflects best practices, strengthens accountability, and promotes transparency in Nebraska’s courts.
— Elizabeth Neeley
Executive Director, Nebraska State Bar Association
A trusted partner for meaningful change
Organizations choose to work with IAALS because we:
- Are independent, non-partisan, and mission-driven
- Ground every engagement in evidence and lived experience
- Understand both system-level reform and on-the-ground realities
- Prioritize solutions that are scalable, achievable, and people-centered
Whether you’re exploring a new initiative or seeking guidance on an existing effort, IAALS serves as a collaborative partner every step of the way.
Start a Conversation
Interested in partnering with IAALS or retaining our team for consulting support?
Together, we can build a justice system that works better—for everyone.