As state legislatures around the country kick off their 2013 sessions, lawmakers in at least four states—Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—are poised to make changes to the process for selecting their states’ judges. IAALS Online has covered developments in Kansas fairly extensively, including the fact that the senate has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate the judicial nominating commission and require senate confirmation of appointments to the appellate courts.

There is also hope that the deadlock over judicial confirmations in the U.S. Senate may be breaking a bit, especially with the new informal agreement on the rules of filibuster.

The Supreme Court of New Hampshire entered an order last month amending the Superior Court Proportional Discovery/Automatic Disclosure Pilot Project Rules to implement the PAD Pilot Rules in all counties beginning March 1, 2013. The rules implement changes to the pleading and discovery rules, including replacing notice pleading with fact-based pleading, requiring early initial disclosures after which only limited additional discovery is permitted, and assignment to a single judge. The pilot project has run for two years, and the National Center for State Courts is currently evaluating the data from the project.

The University of Miami Law School teaches a unique clinic that cross-trains law students and medical students in each other’s disciplines, bringing the two professions together through real and mock situations and simulating the realities outside the classroom. The full Course Portfolio is now available online. Additionally, a new Voices from the Field video is online, featuring a current 3L student's perspective on choosing a law school for its practical education.

You can also read our response to a New York Times article that highlighted the drop in law school applications and its repercussions on schools.

We are on the hunt for a new Senior Director of Development, who will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic Development Plan for IAALS, focusing on prospecting, cultivating, soliciting, and closing philanthropic gifts and grants for our fundraising campaign, as well as smaller contributions from affinity groups. If you know someone who may fit the bill, direct them to the job posting, or to Carolyn McCormick of Peak HR Consulting LLC (email or 303-388-5308).

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