News & Updates

Technology has impacted the legal profession greatly, yet many attorneys are not keeping up—at least, according to some judges. In a recent survey, roughly 32 percent of judge respondents said that lawyers lack the knowledge necessary, on both the…

From a pool of 22 applicants, the judicial nominating commission identified ten semi-finalists for a supreme court vacancy, including six women and four men. The commission will narrow the list to three finalists in early August.

The Utah Bar Admissions Working Group has proposed an inventive attorney licensure path rooted in IAALS' Building a Better Bar research. It addresses traditional bar exam shortcomings by prioritizing competence, diversity, and access to justice through five requirements for admission and continuous assessment.

The Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies has issued a call for public comment on its Guidelines and Suggested Practices for Implementing the 2015 Discovery Amendments to Achieve Proportionality. The Guidelines have their genesis in the Duke Law…

Although the senate judiciary committee voted not to recommend her confirmation to the full senate, the senate confirmed Su J. Chon’s appointment as a district court judge by a 17-10 margin.

IAALS is thrilled to welcome Ericka Byram and Courtney Petersen to our team as program associates. Their addition strengthens our ability to achieve our vision of a world where justice for all is a reality for everyone.

The ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services has published an issue paper exploring the development of new categories of judicially-authorized-and-regulated legal services providers. The Commission is seeking comments on: Whether the concept…

In a recent editorial, The New York Times argues the current judicial selection method of electing high state court judges makes the judiciary more susceptible to influence by campaign donors. The New York Times suggests judges should be appointed through merit selection.

Transformative progress isn’t possible without visionary partners. At a special gathering, IAALS dedicated a permanent commemorative wall in recognition of the Gates Frontiers Fund's extraordinary support since our founding.

Today, we celebrate ten years of IAALS and ten years of work rebuilding justice across the United States. A milestone, to be sure. One that marks our first chapter in reform of the American legal system. One that begins the next decade of change and improvement. And one that would not be possible without you: the lawyers, judges, legal educators, courts, states, and everyday citizens who have supported IAALS and the movement we’ve begun together. 

The executive board of the state Republican Party voted to oppose the retention of three supreme court justices in November.

Back in 2011, Utah implemented significant statewide changes to its rules of civil procedure governing disclosure and discovery, incorporating proportionality and presumptive discovery limits based on tiers. Once again Utah is on the leading edge, implementing a Civil Case Management Pilot Program that promotes increased judicial case management oversight.

IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis was recently profiled in this month's issue of The Colorado Lawyer. The article, written by Justice Mary Mullarkey, discusses the rise of women to the judicial bench and focuses on the three female justices who have completed their terms on the Colorado Supreme Court.

The June edition of 5280 Magazine highlights the reality of self-representation in Colorado’s civil courts. Referencing the first-hand experience of a litigant who navigated her way through the family court process without an attorney, the article discusses how more and more Coloradoans are without legal representation in their civil case.

Responding to the Oklahoma Civil Justice Council’s rating of justices standing for retention based on their decisions in civil liability cases, a group known as “Yes for Fair and Impartial Judges” mounted an educational campaign to encourage voters to consider the justices’ integrity, fairness, and impartiality.

It’s September which means at IAALS, it's time for our 5th Annual Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers Conference. This year’s Conference comes fresh off the heels of ETL’s groundbreaking report, Foundations for Practice: The Whole Lawyer and the Character Quotient, which revealed the keys to career success.

In August, the American Bar Association formed the Task Force on the Future of Legal Education to analyze the challenges facing law schools. The Task Force is now seeking comments about the goals law schools should adopt; student demographics; how schools should be financed and accredited; and the ways in which law school costs affect students and the legal profession.

New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Daniels had grim news for state legislators at his annual State of the Judiciary speech last month: the state’s judicial system may no longer be able to provide New Mexicans with adequate access to their Constitutional rights due to a crippling financial crisis.

In mid-November, President Obama nominated Raymond P. Moore, a federal public defender, for a vacancy on the United States District Court of Colorado, which will open with the new year. Despite the fact that the process by which Moore was nominated mirrors versions used by twenty-one other states, there is concern that he may face a lengthy confirmation period, which has become a trend during Obama’s presidency.

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.