Nominations are now open for the 2027 Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award, which recognizes an innovator who, early in their career, has made a significant impact toward making the American legal system work better for everyone.

That description fits the person for whom the award is named. Alli Gerkman died of breast cancer in 2019 at the way-too-young age of 41. She was a lawyer and senior director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, where she launched Foundations for Practice, a first-of-its-kind effort to identify the skills and characteristics new lawyers need to succeed. IAALS created the award in her honor.

As I wrote when she died, I left my first face-to-face meeting with Alli thinking, “This is a person who is going to do great things.” She did, and this award looks for others doing the same.

IAALS says it designed the award to encourage and showcase innovators, risk takers, visionaries and emerging leaders who bring a reform-minded approach to improving the legal system. Candidates must live in the United States and be early in their legal careers, which IAALS defines as roughly the first 15 years.

Nominations are open through Nov. 1. Others may nominate a candidate, and IAALS also encourages self-nominations. Each nomination requires a résumé or biography and a description, of up to 1,000 words, of the nominee’s innovative work and its impact. IAALS also strongly encourages, but does not require, up to two letters of support.

IAALS will select the recipient by the end of February and present the award at its Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner.

Full guidelines and the nomination form are available at the award’s website.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.