Danielle Kalil

Danielle Kalil is the Director of Civil Justice and the Judiciary at IAALS. In this role, she is responsible for leading the vision and strategy of IAALS’ work on civil justice reform and the judiciary. The central focus of this work is to build a fair, accessible, and effective civil justice system. She directs a dynamic portfolio of data-driven projects focused on modernizing court processes, advancing access to justice, and fostering public trust in courts and the judiciary. These projects encompass national research initiatives and state-level consulting. All of her work is driven by the mission of making our systems work better for the people who use them.

Prior to joining IAALS, Danielle spent five years teaching in the Human Trafficking Clinic + Lab at the University of Michigan Law School, where she worked at the intersection of direct representation and systemic advocacy. In that role, she supervised law students representing clients in a variety of legal areas, including immigration, family law, public benefits, and post-adjudication criminal relief. She also supervised multidisciplinary teams of graduate students using design thinking to develop innovative, systemic solutions to vulnerability and exploitation. Throughout her career, Danielle has been an advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration and looking beyond traditional legal tools to solve problems in the legal system.

Danielle’s work is grounded in her experience as a legal aid attorney in Texas where she provided holistic representation to clients spanning a variety of civil legal areas. She was part of Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault, representing survivors with civil legal needs arising from their victimization. She was also part of the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project, helping current and former foster youth address legal issues arising from their time in care.

Danielle earned her JD from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to law school, she worked in the nonprofit sector in Washington, D.C. Danielle works remotely for IAALS and resides in Michigan.