Arizona

Earlier this year, Arizona began training people to give limited legal advice on civil matters stemming from domestic violence. These advocates, the first of their kind in the state, are learning to provide legal advice on topics such as protective orders, divorce, child custody, consumer protection, and housing.

The future of our justice system will depend on a new model for leadership among the judiciary, including proactive engagement of the issues, multidisciplinary approach to solutions, innovative and creative thinking, data-informed policy making, and the courage and vision to get ahead of problems and explore new...

On the whole, 2020 was a quiet time for state judicial elections, at least in comparison to recent years. Fewer sitting judges were directly targeted for removal, and most of the efforts to oust judges failed at the ballot box. But even quiet years have standout moments, and the recent election cycle brought several...

Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court voted unanimously to eliminate its ethics rules barring nonlawyers from having an economic interest in law firms or participating in fee-sharing, and streamlined advertising rules. The court also approved the licensing of “Legal Paraprofessionals," who will be able to represent...

In a recent op-ed, IAALS Founding Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch commend recent legal regulatory reforms in Utah and Arizona and call for more states across the country to make similar bold changes.

​Last month, the National Center for State Courts released their 2020 Trends in State Courts, which includes discussion of the Family Justice Initiative and its Principles for Family Justice Reform. The principles emphasize problem solving and cooperation between parties—especially when children are involved.

Studies show that up to 80 percent of Americans’ civil legal needs go unmet—and that will likely grow due to the pandemic. Change cannot wait any longer. It is time for us to reimagine the ways in which legal services in our country are delivered, and leaders across the profession are calling for immediate action.

Courts are faced with the task of balancing the public’s need for an efficient justice system with everyone’s health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online dispute resolution, along with a host of other approaches, will likely play a role in tackling the post-pandemic demand for legal services.

In February, IAALS Manager Zack DeMeola joined the Law 2030 podcast of the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Future of the Profession Initiative to talk about learning outcomes in law schools, predictions for the legal profession’s future, and how it all ties together with IAALS’ landmark Foundations for...

On April 7, the ABA Board of Governors approved a resolution urging state licensing authorities to immediately adopt emergency rules that would authorize recent law school graduates to practice law without passing a bar exam, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.