News & Updates

Ruth Bettelheim, a marriage and family therapist, wrote in the New York Times that children’s voices are being ignored or suppressed in custody discussions and agreements. She argues that a custody arrangement generally governs the schedule of children without change until they turn 18, despite the fact that the needs of children change as they get older.

Jeanne Teleia, a marriage and family therapist, told the North Hawaii News that conflict in divorce is damaging to children, but that help is available to mitigate the worst and most prevalent side effects. She encourages parents to commit to a child-centered divorce where parents put their anger aside, resulting in less stress and energy spent, fewer expenses, and less damage inflicted upon the children.

The cast of "West Wing" has reunited to film two short web videos, urging voters to participate in nonpartisan state supreme court elections. One video specifically plugs Michigan Supreme Court candidate Bridget Mary McCormack while the other is a geared toward a more national audience.

In "Check One and the Accountability Is Done: The Harmful Impact of Straight-Ticket Voting on Judicial Elections," the authors argue that straight-ticket voting plays a pernicious role with respect to voter choice and “renders meaningful judicial accountability highly unlikely.” The authors question the legitimacy of a vote “based upon minimal information and reasoning” and argue that "marketing judges as mere accessories to the whole of a political party is simply bad for justice."

Instead of launching his own campaign to fight back against the effort to remove him, Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins affirmed his belief that politicizing the courts leads to outcome-motivated judges who hold themselves accountable to donors and critics instead of the law. Similarly, while Florida State Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince has launched a campaign to stay on the bench, doing so makes her “uncomfortable.”

Daniel Girard, founder and managing partner of a San Francisco- and New York-based litigation firm and a member of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Advisory Committee, recently sat down with ETL to discuss his insights into legal education and what he sees as a the most promising new teaching strategies being implemented by law schools and the qualities that new attorneys need to succeed in the practice of law.

Mark Nadeau regularly teaches oral advocacy and trial tactics and is a leading commentator on international dispute resolution. As a member of the Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers Advisory Committee, he recently sat down with ETL to discuss his insights into legal education and the issues facing both law schools and new attorneys venturing into practice.

Terre Rushton is Associate Executive Director of Programs for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) as well as serving as a member of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Advisory Committee. In her Voices from the Field interview, Rushton comments about learning professionalism, practical learning as a gateway to understanding the role of a lawyer, and developing common skills and understanding different perspectives.

John S. Gleason is Regulation Counsel for the Colorado Supreme Court, where he directs the office responsible for lawyer admissions, registration, regulation, and client protection. He recently sat down with Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers to talk about legal education and the needs of the profession. In his Voices from the Field interview, Gleason talks about the ethical pitfalls that many law students and new attorneys need exposure to and practice navigating through, and provides insights into how law professors can help.

Penny Pether is a Professor of law at Villanova University School of Law, where she teaches constitutional law, comparative constitutional law, law and literature, criminal law, and criminal procedure. In her Voices from the Field interview, Pether gives several suggestions for how the American legal education system can mirror some examples from her native Australia.

Dennis Kaw is the General Counsel for Appliance Factory Outlet and its affiliates. In his Voices from the Field interview, Kaw remarks on the need for law students to have more practical experience in law schools before entering the profession. He also suggests that law schools emulate the business school model of teaching students leadership and strategy.

Annita M. Menogan is currently responsible for oversight of all legal matters for Red Robin, including compliance and corporate governance, and is a member of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Advisory Committee. She recently sat down with us to talk about the future for law students and new law graduates in the profession. In her Voices from the Field interview, Menogan raises several issues about the current state of legal education, and some possible solutions.

Douglas G. Scrivner is former General Counsel of Accenture, where he worked for 31 years, 14 of which as General Counsel. In his Voices from the Field interview, Scrivner outlines the shift in the legal profession away from providing on-the-job training, and how law schools can and should embrace this shift by changing the way they teach students. Scrivner also talks about the kinds of innovation that law schools need and that law schools deans would be wise to incorporate.

Rich Baer is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Liberty Media Corporation, where he is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal, regulatory, and compliance matters. Baer recently sat down with Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers to talk about legal education and how law schools can better prepare students with the practical skills they need upon graduation.