Our Work
Featured projects
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i4J launches first-of-its-kind Medical Debt Policy Scorecard
The Scorecard offers an open-source dataset, interactive map, and detailed report to researchers, policy advocates, and state legislators. The 50 states were scored and ranked across four policy goals: (1) reducing how often people incur medical debt; (2) increasing the ability of patients to resolve debt out of court; (3) improving the openness, efficiency, and equity for people navigating medical debt court cases without a lawyer; and (4) reducing the negative consequences for debtors after court.
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i4J receives Utah Supreme Court’s Office of Legal Services Innovation approval for two medical debt pilots
One-third of all Utah debt collection cases are filed against people experiencing medical debt. The Medical Debt Legal Advocate pilots will empower community healthcare workers at Holy Cross Ministries and financial coaches at AAA Fair Credit to give limited-scope legal advice to medical debt defendants. They are the first pilots in the nation to empower non-lawyers to give legal advice about medical debt.
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i4J’s Cost of Eviction Calculator quantifies the COVID-19 eviction crisis
The Calculator empowers housing advocates to leverage local and national data to demonstrate the number of people at risk of eviction in their community and the estimated costs of providing emergency shelter, inpatient and emergency medical services, child welfare, and juvenile delinquency services to evicted community members as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Calculator has been featured in New York Times, CBS News, the Associated Press, Shelterforce Magazine, and Arizona Public Media.
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i4J conducts the first usability evaluation of online dispute resolution in the U.S.
Users are ready for online courts: the challenge—and opportunity—now is to integrate human-centered design into the expansion of online dispute resolution so the technologies employed are useful and intuitive for all users. i4J partnered with the Utah State Court to conduct usability testing of its online dispute resolution system for debt collection cases, and recommended actionable strategies for improvement.
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NCSC’s Usability and Court Dispute Resolution Platforms
LSC ITC presentation on UX Testing Utah’s Online Dispute Resolution Platform
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i4J designs and launches a Licensed Legal Advocate pilot for domestic violence survivors
A partnership with the Arizona Supreme Court and Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, i4J’s LLA pilot is the first in the nation to empower non-lawyer advocates to provide trauma-informed, limited-scope legal advice to domestic violence survivors. LLAs help survivors navigate the legal system to obtain child support, spousal maintenance, and fair and equitable property and debt divisions; this pilot will produce research regarding the benefits to survivors when unauthorized practice of law policies are adapted to permit non-lawyer advocacy.
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i4J leads the way in bringing social justice innovation to legal education
There are 205 ABA-approved law schools in the United States; ten of them house legal innovation programs. i4J widely shares its projects, its methodology, and the inspiring work of its students to demonstrate that project-based, community-engaged social justice innovation is a value-add to legal ed.
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Legal Innovation Lab Is First to Span Multiple States and Institutions
i4J in the news
Housing Stability
Eviction protections for renters set to expire at the end of the year, Arizona Public Media, December 11, 2020
Nearly 19 million Americans could lose their homes when eviction limits expire Dec. 31, CBS News, November 27, 2020
Cost of Covid-19 Evictions, The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) with i4J, November 19, 2020
New Research Released on the Costs of COVID-19 Evictions, The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), November 19, 2020
The Depression Era Lessons that can solve today’s evictions crisis, The Washington Post, September 4, 2020
Trump Plans Nationwide Eviction Moratorium Amid Stalled Stimulus Talks, MSN Newsweek, September 1, 2020
Calculating America’s eviction crisis: Up to 40 million people are at risk of being kicked out of their homes, Marketwatch, August 10, 2020
The Coming Eviction Crisis: ‘It’s Hard to Pay the Bills on Nothing’, The New York Times, August 9, 2020
Phoenix and housing groups ask Ducey to extend Arizona's halt on evictions until end of 2020, AZCentral.com, July 12, 2020
Forecasting Homelessness in Arizona During the COVID-19 Crisis, Southwest Institute for Research on Women, July 2020
New Website Designed to Avoid Eviction Proceedings: Hello Landlord from BYU, the University of Arizona & SixFifty, The National Law Review, July 9, 2019
In Unique Partnership, Two Law Schools And A Private Company Collaborate On Tool To Reduce Evictions, LawSites, June 26, 2019
Changing The Narrative On Evictions: "A No Villains Rule" And A Real Solution, Forbes, June 26, 2019
America is facing an eviction crisis. This tool could keep families in their homes, FastCompany, June 26, 2019
UA students to tackle Pima County's eviction woes in new law school course, Arizona Daily Star, August 16, 2018
Regulatory Reform of the Legal Profession
Utah Sandbox OKs Two Programs Enabling Non-Lawyers To Give Legal Advice On Medical Debt, LawSites, May 12, 2021
Training for nonlawyers to provide legal advice will start in Arizona in the fall, ABA Journal, February 6, 2020
Pro Bono Work Should be Encouraged and Celebrated, But Much, Much More is Needed, IAALS, October 18, 2019
Arizona Task Force Calls for Wide-Ranging Practice Reforms, Including Eliminating Ban on Nonlawyer Ownership, LawSites, October 15, 2019
Online Dispute Resolution
Online dispute resolution promises to increase access to justice, but challenges remain, ABA Journal, October 1, 2021
From Dinosaurs to Social Justice — How University of Arizona Teaches Digital Fluency, Adobe Blog, June 17, 2020
Podcasts & Videos
Reregulation of Legal Services: A Panel of Five Leading Experts Discuss, LawNEXT Podcast, August 23, 2021
2022 Update from Innovation for Justice, Presentation at University of Arizona Board of Visitors Meeting, February 2020
Applying Design and Systems Thinking Principles to Developing A2J Efforts for the Sandbox, Presentation at Utah Access to Justice Summit, October 8, 2021
How a Social Justice Innovation Lab is Developing New Types of Legal Services, Legal Rebels, February 16, 2022
Applying art to law, and shifting mindsets with Stacy Butler, Director Innovation for Justice, Reimagining Justice Podcast, November 11, 2019