News & Updates

The January 2012 edition of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers newsletter is now available. Sign up for this and other IAALS newsletters here.

On Saturday, IAALS hosted its Pass the Gavel Dinner, celebrating Becky Kourlis as she stepped down from her 13-year tenure as IAALS' executive director as well as welcoming Scott Bales  into the position. 

Recently, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee held the first of three hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In an effort to provide input and offer comments with a fresh perspective, IAALS is hosting A Forum for Understanding and Comment on the Proposed Federal Rules Amendments in Denver, Colorado on December 5-6, 2013 for a small group of stakeholders from around the country.

Christie nominated two men who would bring greater diversity to the state’s highest court—the first openly gay justice and the first Asian-American justice. The nominees must be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled senate.

On January 1, 2020, Michigan implemented its first major overhaul of its civil discovery rules in nearly forty years. A State Bar Association Committee was formed in 2017 to evaluate the current rules and recommend amendments that could help increase access to the courts; as a foundation to its work, the Committee looked to the 2015 federal civil rule amendments, the discovery innovations in other states, IAALS’ research and recommendations, and the Conference of Chief Justices’ national recommendations for state reform.

Professor Steven Friedland of Elon University School of Law uses a problem-based teaching method to guide his required, upper-level Evidence Law course. Drawing upon his trial experience as a prosecutor, Friedland’s course is conducted as a form of “applied trial advocacy,” as opposed to the more traditional “case review” method. The full Evidence Law course portfolio is now available online.

A Democratic lawmaker proposed a public financing system for supreme court elections, pointing to concerns about justices appearing to be influenced by campaign contributors.

IAALS and the NCSC have finalized a three-year project with the release of their new report highlighting the experiences of four states—Idaho, Maine, Missouri, and Texas—as they worked to implement change in their courts. The recommendations can provide critical support to courts facing unprecedented need for change during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Kansas Supreme Court's long-awaited school funding decision may prevent an all-out legislative assault on the state's courts. On March 7, the high court ruled that funding disparities among the state's school districts violate the state constitution. According to Kansas' attorney general, the court adopted a middle ground.

Howard Wasserman recently wrote a post questioning the notion that medical school offers an appropriate model to law schools wishing to graduate lawyers who are "practice-ready." Jeff Lipshaw responded at The Legal Whiteboard.

IAALS is pleased to announce that two of our own have been promoted to director positions as of July 1: Logan Cornett has been promoted to Director of Research and Zack DeMeola has been promoted to Director of Legal Education and the Legal Profession.

As a soon-to-be-graduate, I often find my head swirling with concerns and worries about life after law school. Beyond joining a firm, what options are out there for new grads? Banding together with a couple other recent grads or, scarier yet, hanging out my own shingle? The Denver Bar Association was trying to answer exactly this question when it unveiled Stratum, which offers meeting spaces, networking events, and just about every business amenity a lawyer could need.

The April 2012 edition of Selection Snapshots is now available.

It’s time that the delivery of legal services reflected the reality of innovation and progress we see in every other field—medical, financial, engineering, and everything in between—giving everyone greater access to legal services.

A recent study has found that heavy use of social networking sites is “a positive, significant predictor of divorce rate and spousal troubles” in the United States. The apparent association between the use of social networking sites and divorce and marital unhappiness raises questions not only about how such tools are used, but how their use affects marriage.

The senate approved a bill that would alter the process for nominating appellate judges. The judge member of the appellate judicial commission would be replaced by a gubernatorial appointee.

In March, IAALS wrapped up our Pandemic Positives Speaker Series, bringing together a number of courts and legal service providers who, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly implemented new processes for providing both in-person and virtual services to ensure access to information and assistance.

This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (September 18-20), I will be attending the 3rd Annual Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Conference, which will focus on "Accelerating Competency: Assessment in Legal Education." I'll be keeping you updated throughout each day with live tweets on conference happenings and discussions taking place—so even if you can't join us, you can follow along online using hashtag #ETLConference.

Hosted by IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, and sponsored by DISH Network L.L.C. On June 22, 2012, IAALS is hosting eDiscovery Summit 2012, an educational summit in Denver, Colorado, that will bring together…

In October, the Indiana Supreme Court published the Family Law Taskforce's final recommendations on how to make courts more efficient, less expensive, and easier to navigate in family law matters, with an emphasis in problem-solving, triage, training and stakeholder partnerships, and technology.