News & Updates

Recent studies are shedding new light on the impact of divorce on society and the individual. According one study, based on data collected beginning in 1948, divorce may be “contagious" and that having a friend who is divorced dramatically increases one's chances of divorce. And, another study found that divorced people were two times more likely to die from the most-preventable causes of accidents than their married counterparts.

On February 6 at Noon PST, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor Rick Hasen (University of California at Irvine School of Law) and Professor James Sample (Hofstra Law) will discuss the impact of Citizens United on judicial elections.

On the final day of 2019, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued his annual year-end report on the federal judiciary. In the report, he stresses the importance of civic education to ensure public trust and confidence in our country’s legal system.

The Iowa Supreme Court has requested comments on proposed amendments to the discovery provisions in the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure and a proposed new rule allowing for streamlined and expedited civil actions. The proposed amendments and new rule stem from a concern regarding the declining number of civil jury trials in Iowa courts, of which there were only 204 tried to verdict in 2012.

Only one attorney applied to fill a district court vacancy. Some speculated that potential applicants were discouraged by the fact that the appointee must run in November to keep the seat, for which another attorney has already filed to run.

On April 10, the State Justice Institute hosted a webinar to launch its new Funding Toolkit for State Courts and Justice System Partners. The toolkit is designed to support courts and their partners as they pursue federal and philanthropic funding opportunities, and includes resources that cover the entire grant-seeking writing and management process.

The San Diego Superior Court has implemented a new pilot program that allows couples to complete a simple divorce in just one day. The program has only a few requirements and is designed to foster collaboration between the parties so that the process can move swiftly toward less-adversarial resolution.

Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers has chosen Family Law with Skills at Hofstra Law as one of the classes they are showcasing. This spring I will share the techniques our class uses to teach students about the many layers of family law.

Last month, it was announced that reforms to Canada’s Divorce Act will be delayed due to COVID-19, highlighting just how important it is that courts prepare for this and other types of possible disasters. There are a number of practical steps courts must take now in order to meet people’s needs in a world where going to a physical courthouse is even more difficult—and dangerous.

IAALS is pleased to announce "Foundations for Practice." Led by Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, this ambitious project focuses on improving legal education and closing the gap between how students are being taught in law school and the knowledge and skills legal professionals say new graduates need to succeed.

His fellow supreme court justices elected Justice Ricky Polston to serve as the next chief justice. The position rotates among the court’s members. Polston was appointed to the court in 2008 by Governor Crist.

In September, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences released Civil Justice for All, a report offering seven recommendations geared toward closing the justice gap, with an emphasis on bringing many new advocates—service providers who are not lawyers—into the effort.

Last month, preLaw Magazine released its list of best practical training schools for part-time students. preLaw considered 97 part-time programs, all having 20 or more students, and 22 were selected for the magazine's top honors. Four Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Consortium schools were named to the list: Georgetown, Hofstra, Loyola Chicago, and the University of Maryland.

Confirmation of judicial nominees has been a contentious issue this year, and on May 7, 2012, lawyers, legal experts, and advocacy groups met with the White House to discuss judicial vacancies and the confirmation process. 

The Chicago Bar Foundation has put together a new toolkit for Illinois attorneys who would like to offer unbundled legal services to potential clients with civil matters in trial court. The toolkit helps attorneys to determine whether or not a litigant is a good candidate for bundling, provides attorneys with talking points, and contains other practical materials.

The Colorado Supreme Court has extended the Colorado Civil Access Pilot Project (CAPP) for another six months, through June 30, 2015. The pilot project, which was originally schedule to run through December 31, 2013, had already been extended for an additional year to provide the court with more data and a detailed evaluation of the pilot. IAALS' evaluation of CAPP is now complete, and we will be releasing a final report in the coming weeks.

The same group that led the effort to unseat three justices in the 2010 retention elections announced that it will challenge the sole justice on the ballot this November, Justice David Wiggins, because of his participation in the 2009 unanimous decision that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

From conversations with legal reformers in many states, the idea of establishing a regulatory sandbox seems extreme. The reality is, though, that these initiatives are not as aggressive as they might seem—and in fact, state courts have been using similar reform tools for a very long time. 

In a historic 53.78%–46.22% decision, which is already beginning to transform the state's judiciary in significant ways, Nevada voters elected to create an Intermediate Court of Appeals during the November 2014 election cycle. Nevada has demonstrated that, with right mindedness and well-placed determination on behalf of achieving a high-functioning and efficient legal system, change and progress will eventually prevail.

The state bar association gave a supreme court candidate a “not recommended” rating for the first time since 1998, indicating that less than sixty percent of bar members gave her a favorable evaluation. Three supreme court seats are up for election this year, with one incumbent justice running unopposed.