On December 1, 2015, significant amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect focused on cooperation, proportionality, and early active judicial case management. A new Rule 37(e) addressing sanctions related to the failure to preserve electronically stored information is also included. The amendments represent the culmination of many years of effort by the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, the Advisory Committee on Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and many others around the country who have worked in support of these amendments designed to promote the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of civil cases.
We recognize that while it took much hard work to get this far, but to achieve the full impact of these reforms, it ultimately comes down to implementation and education—of the bench and the bar. Resources on both are included below.
- Duke Law School Center for Judicial Studies: Guidelines and Practices for Implementing the 2015 Discovery Amendments to Achieve Proportionality (Dec. 2015)
- Duke Law School Center for Judicial Studies: Guidelines and Practices for Implementing the 2015 Discovery Amendments to Achieve Proportionality (Annotated Version – June 2016)
- American Bar Association: Rules Amendments Roadshow
