• Image of Malia Reddick
    Malia Reddick
Republican state legislators have proposed a bill that would increase the size of, and allow the governor to appoint a majority of members to, the Alaska Judicial Council. The AJC serves as both the judicial nominating commission and the judicial performance evaluation commission. Under the new bill, the AJC would be expanded to 16 members, and the change would require amending the constitution.
  • Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
The Conference of Chief Justices has established a new committee that will evaluate civil justice improvement efforts around the country and develop guidelines and best practices for civil litigation, as well as case-flow management. The National Center for State Courts has also undertaken a research project to inform the committee's work. IAALS looks forward to working alongside NCSC to support the efforts of the committee.
  • Image of Janice Davidson
    Janice Davidson
HB 3380 would establish a judicial performance evaluation program for Oklahoma’s appellate and trial judges, and is remarkably similar to processes that already operate successfully in seven states where judges appear on the ballot, as they do in Oklahoma. The contemplated JPE program in Oklahoma is objective, broad-based, and apolitical, and an improvement on existing processes.
  • Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
For those who have been awaiting empirical analysis from the pilot project and rules reform experimentation that has been going on around the country, there are two new significant reports from the earliest of the projects—from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Both reports provide helpful insights into state pilot project efforts to address the increasing burden and cost of civil pretrial discovery.
  • Image of Katherine Kirk
    Katherine Kirk
In The Docket, Barbara Mueller discusses the 2nd Annual Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Conference as a window into the ongoing discussions of legal education reform that are taking place nationwide. At one session, a panel of law school deans from across the country discussed a number of such approaches that their law schools are undertaking.
  • Image of Riley Combelic
    Riley Combelic
IAALS would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Andrew Schepard on his designation as the Max Schmertz Distinguished Professor of Law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Andy has been a longtime friend of IAALS, working closely with us on a range of issues.
  • Image of Alli Gerkman
    Alli Gerkman
In his Voices from the Field interview, Bill Walters, Partner at Heizer Paul and former president of the Colorado Bar Association, suggests that law schools need to expose students to the various career options they have following law school, which extend far beyond the traditional big firm practice of law.
  • Image of Brittany Kauffman
    Brittany Kauffman
The last of three hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is being held today in Dallas, Texas, and our Executive Director, Rebecca Love Kourlis, is among those testifying. IAALS has submitted a Joint Comment with the ACTL Task Force on Discovery and Civil Justice, as well as a Report coming out of our Forum for Understanding and Comment on the Federal Rule Amendments.
  • Image of Natalie Anne Knowlton
    Natalie Anne Knowlton
It comes as no surprise to those who work in or with the courts that many litigants these days proceed through the civil and family court system without an attorney. The figures collected and released in Indiana’s recent State of the Judiciary show that over half of all civil and family law litigants in 2013 were self-represented. And such high rates are not unique to Indiana.
  • Image of Malia Reddick
    Malia Reddick
There are several anticipated efforts in 2014 to alter processes for selecting state court judges, particularly in states with commission-based gubernatorial appointment of appellate judges. In Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, as in Arizona and Florida in recent years, legislative proposals are aimed at directly or indirectly expanding the governor's appointing authority.
  • Image of Zachary Willis
    Zachary Willis
This spring, IAALS will hold its annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner, which recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of innovation and leadership that we champion across all of our work. We are thrilled to be honoring two longtime supporters of IAALS: Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael L. Bender (Ret.) and University of Denver Chancellor Robert D. Coombe.
  • Image of Natalie Anne Knowlton
    Natalie Anne Knowlton
While divorce is a legal process, anyone who has gone through it knows that it is also an emotional process. The reality is that the 'emotional divorce' and the 'legal divorce' most often have to be managed at the same time, but the legal process can make a significant difference in one's experience, both during the process and for years after.