News & Updates

The approved Pilot Project Regarding Case Management Techniques for Complex Civil Cases took effect in the Southern District of New York on November 1, 2011, and will be in place for an eighteen-month trial period. This article provides background on the project and explores its provisions.

In its celebration of 2011 "Lawyers of the Year," LawWeek Colorado named Denver District Court Judge Ann Frick and Sherman & Howard lawyer Skip Netzorg for their roles in creating the rules for the Civil Access Pilot Project.

On January 1, 2012, Colorado launched its “Civil Access Pilot Project Applicable to Business Actions in District Court.” Five Denver metro-area courts will use new rules of civil procedure in certain types of cases for a period of two years, in an effort to better serve the needs of litigants. The rules are intended to address the problems of pretrial cost and delay in an even-handed way.

The article (subscription required) reviews the Model Order on E-Discovery in Patent Cases and commends the work of the Federal Circuit Advisory Council's E-Discovery Committee and Judge Randall Rader, who unveiled the order at the Eastern District…

Author Henry Kelston reviews the December 13 hearing on "The Costs and Burdens of Civil Discovery" convened by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis testified in the hearing.

The inaugural edition of Rule One Review is now available. Rule One Review is a quarterly newsletter that shares information about pilot projects and other civil rules projects being monitored by the Rule One Initiative. Sign up for Rule One Review…

The Third Branch, the blog of the United States Courts, discussed the background and objectives of the pilot project in the Southern District of New York. 

The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) at the University of Denver today applauds the Colorado Supreme Court for approving the Colorado Civil Access Pilot Project. This visionary step forward joins a national trend among states committed to improving the delivery of court services and giving plaintiffs and defendants access to a just, speedy and inexpensive court system.

The Federal Circuit Advisory Council unanimously voted to adopt the proposed "Model Order on E-Discovery in Patent Cases." The model would limits on electronic discovery. Click here to read the article.

As criminal cases crowd already crowded dockets, civil litigants see resolutions to their disputes delayed indefinitely. Click here to read the article.

Texas Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson was recently interviewed by The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Chief Justice Jefferson is a member of the Advisory Committee for our O'Connor Judicial Selection Project.

The Final Report by IAALS and ACTL was cited in Lee v. Max International, LLC, a Tenth Circuit decision written by Judge Neil Gorsuch. Click here to read the article.

The Final Report by IAALS and ACTL was cited in this article, which discusses the implications technology may have on document review. Over the past 10 years, courts and commentators have struggled with this issue. Some, such as the American College…

State legislatures are increasingly eyeing court budgets as they try to make deep cuts into their budgets, leaving state courts woefully underfunded and causing delays and concerns about the abilities of state courts to dispense justice. Here, Mary…

State courts, which carry millions of cases per year across the country, are increasingly being targeted by state legislatures looking to make cuts. Click here to read the article.