 |
|||||
 |
|||||
| Greetings, friends! It’s the end of another year and thus a natural time for reflection. What a year it has been in the regulatory innovation space! While it hasn’t been all roses and while some efforts have gained more momentum than others, as a whole, it feels safe to say that we have moved closer to reaching the goal of rethinking how we regulate and deliver legal services to increase access to affordable legal help for all Americans. And that’s something we should all celebrate. A few final updates for 2023. First, in early October, IAALS held a convening, “Unlocking Legal Regulation: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Building and Sustaining Regulatory Reform,” in Denver. Twenty-three leaders from different regulatory innovation initiatives and IAALS staff participated in two days of thought leadership sessions. You can learn more about the objectives of and initial takeaways from the conveying here. IAALS will share a more comprehensive list of lessons learned and recommendations for building and sustaining regulatory reform in its post-convening report, currently set to be released in early 2024. Second, the National ABS Law Firm Association held its second annual meeting in Scottsdale last month. Approximately 60 ABS owners and compliance attorneys gathered to discuss issues and topics of interest. You can learn about (and join!) the association here. I had the opportunity to attend the meeting and left feeling inspired by the dedicated legal professionals in the room who seemed sincerely interested in improving how legal services are delivered in our country. Third, the Illinois Supreme Court recently announced the creation of an Executive Committee on Practice of Law. This new committee is charged with making recommendations on issues impacting the practice of law and unmet legal needs. You can learn more about the committee and its goals here. Finally, here are a few events to start looking forward to in early 2024. First, IAALS will be kicking off 2024 with a two-part webinar series examining the shifting dynamics in legal services provision and advocating for an inclusive and consumer-focused approach to legal reforms, so mark your calendars for January 25 and February 1 at 11 a.m. MT. Second, registration for the Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work Conference, scheduled to take place in Tempe February 28–March 1, 2024, is now open. Learn more and register here. |
|||||
 |
Jessica Bednarz
November 2023 |
||||
 |
|||||
| November 29: “Legal Industry Rules on Cusp of Sea Change as Tech Forces Gather” in Bloomberg Law November 29: “Arizona attorneys are facing new competition” in the Explorer November 28: “Momentum and Roadblocks for Regulatory Reform” on the Talk Justice podcast November 21: “So You Want to Implement an Allied Legal Professional Program, Part 3” on IAALS Blog November 17: “‘Robot lawyer’ DoNotPay beats lawsuit by Illinois law firm” on Reuters November 16: “When it comes to deregulation of the legal industry, divisions run deep?” in the ABA Journal November 14: “Could a solution to provide legal care in Alaska work in rural Minnesota?” in MinnPost November 9: “Award-Winning Legal Tech Startups Are Reshaping the Future of Justice” on IAALS Blog November 7: “New York State Bar Delays Study of Non-Attorney Counsel to Address Access to Justice” in the New York Law Journal November 6: “NAACP Program Asks 4th Circ. To Block SC Legal Advice Law” on Law360 November 3: “Building a Consumer-Centered Legal Market: Takeaways from IAALS’ Convening on Regulatory Reform” on IAALS Blog November 3: “Alaska Legal Services Corporation is bringing free legal training to rural Alaska residents” on KYUK November 1: “Balancing Consumer Protection and Consumer Access with Alternative Legal Service Providers” on IAALS Blog October 25: “Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice Delivers Keynote Remarks at the Launch of the Alaska Legal Services Corporation’s Community Justice Worker Resource Center” on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs website October 19: “Nevada Supreme Court Adopts Changes to SCR 49.5 re: Limited Practice of Law” in State Bar of Nevada News October 13: “We Can Improve Access to Justice With More Paths to Law Practice” in Bloomberg Law October 10: “Data Plays a Critical Role in Regulatory Innovation” on IAALS Blog October 4: “Frontline Justice Selects Nikole Nelson as Founding CEO” on the Frontline Justice website |
|||||
|
Resources
|
|||||
| “Toward National Regulation of Legal Technology: A Path Forward for Access to Justice” article in the Fordham Law Review “The World Needs More Lawyers” paper from the Regulatory Transparency Project “Outsourcing Self-Regulation” article in the Washington and Lee Law Review Amicus Brief – South Carolina State Conference of NAACP v. Wilson from the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession |
|||||
|
From the Sandbox
|
|||||
Some highlights from the latest activity report out of Utah's Office of Legal Services Innovation:
|
|||||
Visit our
Knowledge Center to track what's happening around the country and the world when it comes to legal regulation, as well as submit information and sign up for notifications.
|
 |
||||
 |
|||||
| Here are some upcoming events during which regulatory reform or innovation has been identified as a topic for discussion. For purposes of this events section, we are defining regulatory reform and innovation as rethinking how legal services are regulated and delivered and as expanding the ecosystem of service providers who can deliver legal help. December 11: “Paralegal Division Power Hour | The Future of Legal Services Regulation and Enhancing Civil Access to Justice” webinar February 9, 2024: Legal Paraprofessional Summit February 28–March 1, 2024: Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work Conference March 19, 2024: “Alternate Legal Providers: Colorado’s New Licensed Legal Paraprofessional Program” webinar |
|||||
|
IAALS is a national, independent research center dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement and advancing excellence in the American legal system. Our mission is to forge innovative and practical solutions to problems within the American legal system. |
|||||
|
|||||
