Innovation for Justice

i4J is a virtual social justice innovation lab that creates new, replicable and scalable strategies for legal empowerment.

Housed at both the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, Innovation for Justice (i4J) applies design thinking and systems thinking methodologies to expose inequalities in the justice system, and designs, builds and tests disruptive solutions to the justice crisis.

To learn more about i4J, visit Purpose, Process, and People.

i4J’s three keys to unlocking change.

i4J focuses on three disruptive strategies - Service, System, and Structure - and applies them to the most urgent civil legal issues impacting low-income Americans.

i4J’s Service Impact Areas focuses on creating new legal service models so more people can know the law.

i4J’s System Impact Areas focuses on improving justice sector technologies so more people can use the law.

i4J’s Structure Impact Areas focuses on building tools for policy advocacy so more people can change the law.

Learn more about each impact area and i4J’s theory of change at Impact Areas.

Developing Future Changemakers 

Since its founding in 2018, i4J has continuously expanded opportunities for graduate students to engage in meaningful experiential learning courses that embed them in active research teams.

Graduate students from any discipline at the University of Utah and University of Arizona work together in i4J’s 100% virtual live courses.

Students from any university and any field of study may apply for an i4J Student Externship.

Learn more and apply at Graduate Student Courses.

Community Legal Education 

Innovation for Justice trains community-based justice workers in Arizona and Utah who are authorized to provide limited-scope legal help to the communities they already serve. We currently offer three legal empowerment training courses:

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative (DVLA)

The first of it's kind nationwide, i4J’s DVLA Initiative in Arizona empowers advocates other than lawyers to provide limited-scope legal help to domestic violence survivors.

Medical Debt Legal Advocate Initiative (MDLA)

i4J’s MDLA Initiative in Utah empowers advocates other than lawyers to provide limited-scope legal help to community members experiencing medical debt.

Housing Stability Legal Advocate Initiative (HSLA)

i4J’s HSLA Initiative in Arizona and Utah empowers advocates other than lawyers to provide limited-scope legal help to community members experiencing housing instability.

To learn more and apply, visit Community Legal Education.

Amplifying i4J’s Impact

To learn more about i4J’s work, check out our research publications, blog posts, and press coverage. To stay up-to-date, follow i4J on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

i4J Research Reports

Go in-depth with i4J’s academic and applied research by reading our research reports and publications.

Visit Reports & Publications.

i4J Blog Posts

Follow the i4J Updates blog to stay up-to-date about projects underway at i4J and important access to justice trends.

Visit i4J Blog Posts.

i4J Press Coverage

Read all about it: i4J’s work is often showcased in national and international publications.

Visit Press Coverage.

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i4J’s groundbreaking work is primarily made possible by grants and the generous support of private donors.

To learn more about ways you can support i4J’s work, visit Support.