News & Updates

IAALS' work as a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to improving the civil justice system through data-driven solutions has never been more critical than it is right now. I am proud of this organization and what we have accomplished this year—and I also know we have much work to do in 2023.

Over the last eight years, our impacts have been felt across the country. A critical component of our success lies in our approach to tackling the challenging issues we face.

A group known as Defend Justice from Politics formed to support the three justices up for retention in November.

The Colorado Supreme Court recently released guidelines permitting virtual participation in trial court proceedings. While crucial, this is only the initial stride in securing a transformative change for the court, their users, and society.

Congratulations to the University of New Hampshire School of Law's Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program (DWS) on being selected as one of three recipients of this year's E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards from the ABA Standing Committee on…

The preliminary hearing in the criminal case against Justice Joan Orie Melvin began on July 30. Melvin faces charges that she violated state law by using court staff to assist in her 2003 and 2009 supreme court campaigns. Two staffers testified that they were uncomfortable with the political work they were asked to do. Of the nine counts recommended by the grand jury, the judge ruled that Melvin will stand trial on seven.

IAALS is awarding Eduardo Gonzalez, Program Officer for Civil Justice at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the fourth annual Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award. "Eduardo represents so much of what the Alli Gerkman Legal Visionary Award is about," said Brittany Kauffman. "He is early in his career, but his impacts and passion for innovation have outpaced his short time in the profession."

According to a new study by Reuters, in states where supreme court justices are elected and reelected by the voters, justices uphold death sentences more often than their counterparts in states where justices stand for retention or reappointment…

Three former judges recused themselves from hearing a challenge to the state’s appellate judge selection process, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the special five-member panel appointed by Governor Haslam to decide the case.

IAALS is thrilled to announce that Chief Judge Susan Blanco, Mark Chandler, Helen M. Hierschbiel, and Victor Quintanilla have joined our Board of Advisors. We are eager to work together to ensure justice for all is a reality for all.

In 2013, the Colorado Judicial Branch created the Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator (Sherlock) program. The Sherlocks, operating in courthouses in each of Colorado’s judicial districts, assist litigants with information on court procedures, forms…

LawMeets, a website that provides law students with free transactional simulations, is now offering free transactional law courses which can be used by individual students or incorporated into law school classes. These online courses will combine lectures and simulations to teach law students the nuts-and-bolts of business transactions.

I recently attended IAALS’ Fourth Civil Justice Reform Summit and served as a faculty member on several panels. It never fails that I come away from these gatherings with more ideas. I began to take notes on this question—what can we do to effect the changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure?

All eight candidates for the state’s appellate courts qualified for public financing, with supreme court candidates receiving $240,100 each and court of appeals candidates receiving $164,400. At least two outside groups are raising and spending funds in support of the Republican supreme court candidate.

This November, five of the seven justices on the Kansas Supreme Court are standing for retention, and many court watchers in Kansas and around the country are anticipating a no-holds-barred election battle. The supreme court on one side and the governor and legislature on the other have been at odds for the last several years over court decisions involving school funding and capital punishment.

Conservative groups have mounted a loosely organized effort to oppose the retention of Justice John Pelander because of his vote in a 3-2 ruling that allows Proposition 121 to appear on the November ballot.

Figuring out how to educate law students to meet the needs of modern law practice is vitally important given shrinking job markets and changing demands on lawyers. IAALS has accepted that challenge with its Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers initiative, which focuses on preparing new lawyers for successful participation in the legal profession. Law schools have traditionally focused on applicants’ LSAT scores and grade point averages to determine admissions to law schools. This produces a student body designed to perform well on standardized tests and in college-type settings. 

In Bexar County, the recent election has produced another wave of straight-ticket voting on judges. Texas is one of only three states in which voters can cast a straight-party ballot for all candidates, including judicial candidates. This year, Democrats won all but one of the races, but in 2010, a similar partisan sweep resulted in Republicans winning every contested judicial race in Bexar County.

The National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP) has launched a new resource in Canada. The National Database of Professionals Assisting SRLs contains contact information for attorneys offering unbundled legal services, and paralegals and other professionals willing to offer affordable services.

This month, IAALS launched the first edition of IAALS Report, our new monthly newsletter. It’s a great way to keep up with news and progress in all four of our initiatives: Quality Judges, Rule One, Honoring Families, and Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers. We believe IAALS Report will be a convenient way to keep you even more informed about issues affecting the civil justice system as we move into 2013.