On December 9, IAALS and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law co-hosted a virtual discussion with Dan Rodriguez, former dean of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, on why our balkanized system of professional regulation makes it much more difficult to meet the demand for legal services.
Earlier this year, Paula Littlewood was a guest on ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels podcast where she spoke about how she came to be an advocate for re-regulation, the need for lawyers to engage the public when it comes to regulatory changes, and Washington’s pioneering limited legal license technician program.
It’s time that the delivery of legal services reflected the reality of innovation and progress we see in every other field—medical, financial, engineering, and everything in between—giving everyone greater access to legal services.
On October 27, IAALS and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law co-hosted a virtual discussion featuring Crispin Passmore, Will Morrison, and Abigail Moy—moderated by David Lat—who addressed how legal regulations in other countries have allowed for greater accessibility to the justice system and increased innovation among service providers.
The legal profession is fraught with systemic barriers to entry that form ripple effects on the road to becoming a lawyer. The pathway is much like narrow pipeline—entry is limited and every segment is springing leaks, disproportionately affecting people of color along the way—creating a profession that is among the least diverse in the country.
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 clients in court.
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 public comment on these recommendations through August 21.
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 law and reduce constraints on how lawyers market and promote their services.
