Unlocking Legal Regulation

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.

On August 20, IAALS and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law co-hosted a virtual discussion with Rohan Pavuluri, Andrea S. Jarmon, and Andrew Arruda, who covered issues of racial injustice in both legal education and the profession, as well as what regulatory reform actually looks like in action.

The Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Bar Foundation Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law and Innovation is one of the latest groups to issue a set of recommendations that seek to address the growing disconnect between the public’s legal needs and the lawyers who can serve them. The task force is accepting...

Last week, in a historic vote, the Utah Supreme Court voted unanimously to establish a regulatory sandbox for nontraditional legal services providers in order to address the state’s access to justice crisis. These rule changes will allow individuals and entities to explore creative ways to safely allow the practice of...

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.

On June 25, IAALS and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law co-hosted a virtual discussion with William Henderson, law professor and an ABA Journal Legal Rebel, who laid out how and why the current legal regulatory system is no longer working and why state supreme courts are best positioned to pioneer new...

The California Board of Trustees is meeting today to consider the charter and composition of the Closing the Justice Gap Working Group. We at IAALS applaud the board for creating the working group and committing to move forward with important and innovative legal services solutions, but we strongly encourage them to...

The regulatory reform signal shines brightly over Utah and your help is needed—will you answer the call? The public comment period on Utah's proposals to expand the delivery of legal services is open until Thursday, July 23. It is imperative for all those who are committed to making justice available for all to submit...

The legacy of racism that blights our criminal justice system also creates inequities in our society more broadly. IAALS joins others in this process of listening, reflecting, and recommitting ourselves to the goals of equity and inclusion, because they are central to our vision of a justice system that works for all...