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| Message from our CEO |
In 2026, IAALS will celebrate our 20th anniversary with a number of special events, and we hope you will join us! Of particular national importance, we invite you to our Forum on Innovation and Impact in April and our Vision 2040 Summit in October.
The full-day Forum precedes our Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner and will feature conversations with longtime partners, leaders from the profession and business community, and a new generation of visionaries who are setting their sights on the future of justice.
Our Vision 2040 Summit will bring together innovators from law, business, technology, academia, and the community to ask an urgent question: What must justice look like in 2040—and what will it take to get there? Together, we will chart a bold course for reform in the decades ahead, not just for IAALS but for all justice system stakeholders and leaders. From vision to action, the summit will bring together today's leaders to shape tomorrow’s justice system.
Learn more about each of our events here and save the dates. More details coming soon.
Brittany Kauffman, CEO
October 2025 |
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| Updates from IAALS |
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Do you know someone with a bold vision for a more just legal system? Someone who has tirelessly worked to turn that vision into a reality? We want to hear about them and recognize their contributions.
IAALS has opened the nomination window for the 2026 Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award, which recognizes innovators who have made significant impacts early in their legal careers toward making the American legal system work better for everyone. IAALS is looking for remarkable candidates—we want to hear about people who not only dream of a brighter justice system but have actively worked to transform that vision into a reality. We’re seeking individuals who are breathing fresh life into old systems, working to reestablish public trust, and reshaping the future landscape of the legal profession.
Nominations will be accepted through November 1, and the award will be presented in April 2026. Nominations can be made here. |
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| Utah’s Sandbox: Interim Reports and the Case for Evaluation: Utah's legal regulatory sandbox was designed to open the door to new kinds of legal service providers and business structures, including entities with nonlawyer ownership and nonlawyer practitioners, who could offer legal services to the public. IAALS has now completed our interim evaluation, with findings published across a four-part report series covering background, process evaluation, outcomes evaluation, and social return on investment analysis. |
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| ATLN Supports Advancing Alternative Fee Structures in Indiana: The Above the Line Network strongly supports the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future recommendation to advise practitioners on alternative fee structures to address the state's attorney shortage. ATLN has submitted public comments to advise practitioners on alternative fee arrangements. |
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Be sure to read all of the news from IAALS on our blog.
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| Events |
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Upcoming Events, External Speaking Engagements, and Attendance:
- Oct. 14: Giving Voice to the Imperative of Civil Justice: An IAALS Convening (Atlanta—Kauffman, Byram)
- Oct. 16-17: IAALS Board of Advisors Meeting (Denver)
- Nov. 6: National ABS Law Firm Association Annual Meeting (Scottsdale—Bednarz, Byram)
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| IAALS in the News |
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- Sept. 2: “GPT-5 and the Future of Legal AI Regulation” from the AI and the Future of Law podcast
- Sept. 2: “The Legal Leadership Brief: From Paraprofessionals to Practitioners” in the Kristine Custodio Suero substack
- Sept. 25: “Nominations Open for 2026 Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award” in Law Week Colorado
- Sept. 27: “Washington Tests Non-Lawyer Legal Services. Arizona Smirks. Utah Says Welcome To The Club” in LawFuel
- Oct. 7: “Faculty and Staff Grants From Summer 2025” from the University of Denver
- Oct. 7: “Expanding access to justice through responsible legal technology” in DukeLaw
- Oct. 8: “Nonprofit law firms could help address Indiana’s lawyer shortage” in the Indiana Lawyer
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| Get Involved |
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IAALS is a national, independent research organization that innovates and advances solutions that make our civil justice system more just.
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