• Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
April 13, 2020
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules met virtually on April 1 and covered a number of different updates and discussion topics, including proposed amendments to Rule 30(b)(6). And, instead of the usual legislative update, Judge Bates provided an update on recent pandemic-related events related to the Committee.
  • Image of Logan Cornett
    Logan Cornett
April 10, 2020
On April 7, the ABA Board of Governors approved a resolution urging state licensing authorities to immediately adopt emergency rules that would authorize recent law school graduates to practice law without passing a bar exam, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Image of Maddie Hosack
    Maddie Hosack
April 8, 2020
New Mexico is one of the latest states to look to regulatory innovation to increase access to legal services. On January 24, the state supreme court approved a number of recommendations, including enlisting nonlawyer court navigators to assist self-represented litigants in navigating the system.
  • Image of Brooke Meyer
    Brooke Meyer
April 3, 2020
Courts across the country continue to exhibit incredible flexibility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders have been enacted in many parts of the country, judges and lawyers alike are looking for ways to keep court cases and processes moving.
  • Image of Martin Gramatikov
    Martin Gramatikov
  • Image of Rodrigo Nunez
    Rodrigo Nunez
April 1, 2020
The United States of America leads the world in many areas of democracy, technology, economy, and culture, but what holds back American citizens from accessing justice when they need it? In times of extreme uncertainty, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, this is a critical question.
  • Image of Dona Playton
    Dona Playton
March 31, 2020
Administering justice in the time of COVID-19 has taken on a whole new direction in a rural municipal court in Laramie, Wyoming. After the governor declared a state of emergency, we developed a plan to temporarily delay any in-court personal appearances and began utilizing videoconferencing to facilitate necessary court functions.
  • head shot photo of Michael Houlberg
    Michael Houlberg
March 30, 2020
In January, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts' Family Court Review published an article highlighting the key takeaways, proposals, and results from last spring's Plain and Simple: Making the Legal System Accessible to All conference. The conference was directed at the immense need for plain language and simplification reform efforts, and was co-sponsored by IAALS.
  • Image of Scott Bales
    Scott Bales
March 26, 2020
We join countless others in wishing retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor all the best today on her 90th birthday. Her life's journey has been remarkable, from her historic appointment to the Supreme Court to her inspiring civics and judicial selection achievements. IAALS and the public have benefited greatly from her efforts.
  • Image of William D. Henderson
    William D. Henderson
March 25, 2020
Imagine a legal sector neatly divided into two groups: the Rule Makers and the Risk Takers. With evidence piling up that the legal market is not working for ordinary citizens, the Rule Makers come together to evaluate possible changes. After the new rules are enacted, the burden shifts to the Risk Takers to build out workable solutions.
  • Image of Logan Cornett
    Logan Cornett
March 24, 2020
In a new white paper published on March 22, 11 legal scholars stress the need for jurisdictions to consider alternative licensing options for the Class of 2020 and others slated to take the bar exam this summer, in light of restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Image of Maddie Hosack
    Maddie Hosack
March 23, 2020
In a recent op-ed, Joanne Slotnik, former executive director of the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, touts the state’s successful judicial selection system, which includes robust performance evaluation for judges and retention elections by the public.
  • Image of Brooke Meyer
    Brooke Meyer
March 20, 2020
The ABA has created a task force to identify legal needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and to make recommendations to address them. Meanwhile, state and federal courts continue to rapidly respond to the impacts of the virus.