Rebecca Love Kourlis is a former justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Currently, she serves as executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.
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Kourlis served Colorado’s judiciary for nearly two decades, first as a trial
court judge and then as a justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. She resigned
from the Supreme Court in January 2006 to establish the Institute for the
Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), where she serves as executive
director. IAALS is a national, independent
research center housed at the University of Denver and is dedicated to
continuous improvement of the process and culture of the civil justice system.
The author of more than 200 opinions and dissents during her
tenure as a judge, Kourlis also spearheaded significant reforms in the judicial
system relating to juries, family law, and attorney regulation.
She is the recipient of the 2012 John Marshall Award, presented by the
American Bar Association Justice Center to recognize individuals who are
dedicated to the improvement of the administration of justice; the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Legal Reform Organization of the Year Award (2007); and the ABA
Judicial Division Robert B. Yegge Award for Outstanding Contribution in the
Field of Judicial Administration (2009). She is a fellow of the Colorado Bar
and American Bar Foundations. In 2010, she and her husband Tom were named
Citizens of the West by the National Western Stock Show.