Making the Case for More Civil Justice Data

News and Updates
If the first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one, the second step is understanding the scope of that problem—why it exists, how it persists, and who it’s affecting. And, when it comes to civil justice problems, data must be at the… MORE

IAALS Welcomes Amy Livingston as New Director of Development

News and Updates
IAALS is pleased to announce that Amy Livingston has joined the organization as its new Director of Development. Livingston comes to IAALS after consulting with nonprofit clients and philanthropists to secure multiple transformational gifts, which… MORE

Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 2: The Second Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence

News and Updates
IAALS’ report, Building a Better Bar: The Twelve Building Blocks of Minimum Competence, provides the first-ever empirically grounded definition of the minimum competence required to practice law. Our comprehensive study found that minimum competence… MORE

Putting Students at the Center of Modern Legal Education

News and Updates
The COVID-19 pandemic required the entire legal education system—along with every other educational institution—to move to online teaching overnight. By necessity, this required using existing technology tools, such as online conferencing and… MORE

Looking to IAALS’ Next Chapter: Building on Strengths, Taking on New Challenges

News and Updates
I am thrilled to have officially joined IAALS as CEO on June 1. Throughout my career—including serving a combined 14 years as law school dean at Hofstra University and Loyola University Chicago, as well as president of Marist College—I've had the… MORE

State Justices Stress Need for Courts to Lead the Way on Regulatory Reform

News and Updates
On June 9, IAALS co-hosted the first session of the Redesigning Legal Speaker Series, bringing together over 150 people to learn about and discuss the regulatory changes underway, the challenges they face, and the opportunities they provide. “… MORE

2021 Justice Index Puts Spotlight on States Who Pass and Fail Justice Metrics

News and Updates
In May, the National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) at Fordham Law School published the latest iteration of the Justice Index, a national survey of state civil justice policies that provides “a snapshot of the degree to which each U.S. state… MORE

Americans Know What They Want in Their State Judges. Can They Agree How to Achieve It?

News and Updates
What qualities do Americans want in their state judges? Professor Herbert Kritzer, the Marvin J. Sonosky Chair of Law and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, addresses the question in the Spring 2021 issue of Judicature. In a national… MORE

Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 1: The First Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence

News and Updates
Last October, IAALS published the groundbreaking report Building a Better Bar: The Twelve Building Blocks of Minimum Competence, containing clear, evidence-based recommendations and guideposts for improving the bar exam and lawyer licensing. At the… MORE

Pandemic “Pilot Projects” and the Next Steps for Court Innovation

News and Updates
Pilot projects have long been used when implementing reforms—they provide a smaller-scale testing ground to administer the changes, they create an opportunity to gain broader support for innovation, and they allow for evaluation and improvement… MORE