News & Updates

The community-based justice worker model is rapidly expanding within the civil justice ecosystem, showcasing diverse forms and significant impact. Here, we explore its evolution, approaches, and nationwide influence on improving access to justice.

How do you talk to children about divorce? And, do we realize just how far the effects of divorce can reach? In a recent article for Psychology Today, Splitopia author Wendy Paris discusses these questions and takes a hard look at the realities of…

Twenty-three past presidents of the Florida Bar signed a resolution denouncing the effort by Restore Justice 2012 to oust three supreme court justices standing for retention in November. The bar also released a poll of attorneys showing strong support for retaining the justices, whose average approval rating was 90 percent, and the 15 court of appeals judges on the ballot.

Following Utah's example, several other states and Canadian provinces are exploring regulatory sandboxes to address the access to justice crisis and create innovative services for people's unmet legal needs.

At Seattle University School of Law, our goal is to have a comprehensive, integrated skills curriculum. We feel good about our curriculum’s comprehensiveness; we have focused in recent years on integration. Our legal writing and clinical faculty in particular have collaborated extensively over the last several years, including holding a yearly joint retreat. We also collaborate on the Real Clients in the First Year Project, where our first-year legal writing students work on a slice of a pending clinical case or on a live issue from a legal nonprofit. 

In a 2-1 ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit blocked a Montana state law barring political party endorsements of judicial candidates.

As IAALS celebrates its tenth year, the Denver Business Journal sat down with Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis to recap her motivation for leaving the Colorado Supreme Court and founding IAALS, and the impacts made over the last decade.

Recent polling indicates that the chief justice race between Judge Robert Vance Jr. and Roy Moore is a dead heat, a somewhat surprising turn of events given that Vance did not enter the race as the Democratic candidate until September. Since then, Vance has raised $500,000 and received endorsements from two prominent Alabama Republicans.

Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Fern Fisher of the New York City Courts recently addressed the Colorado Supreme Court Advisory Committee and its Limited License Legal Technician (LLLTs) Subcommittee.

Colorado litigants and their attorneys are no strangers to e-discovery and its challenges. During the month of October, attorneys practicing in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado have a unique opportunity to provide input on this important topic.

More than two hundred years ago, our Founders created and signed the Constitution of the United States. This codified, written constitution established that ours would be a nation governed by the rule of law. The concepts embodied in the phrase “rule of law” are both simple and complex. Its simplicity derives from the fact that the underlying notion is clear: all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, economic or social status, or other group or individual characteristic, are equal in the eyes of the law. The concept, however, also requires that a complex web of laws and governmental actions come together to assure the protection of the rule of law for all.

The defeat of two incumbent supreme court justices has led some to consider making changes to the judicial election process. Neither justices’ qualifications were called into question, and both received higher ratings from the state bar association than did their challengers—one of whom was “not recommended.”

There is an exciting movement toward practical legal education in U.S. law schools. There are many good reasons for this movement, including demand from students and potential students, as well as demand from the employers and clients that will hire those students. Additionally, a plethora of compelling studies strongly suggest that adults learn best through practical, contextual, experiential education.

In the final days of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue's term, she will be filling the supreme court vacancy created by the unanticipated retirement of Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson. Given the short time frame in which the appointment must be made, the governor has decided to forego use of the judicial nominating commission and make a direct appointment. As a necessary step, she entered Executive Order 137, “temporarily modifying” the selection process for all vacancies that may arise before she leaves office. We understand the time constraints but lament her decision.

"Delegates approved a series of resolutions pertaining to the financing and curriculum of legal education, although the ABA's legislative body lacks the power to compel law schools to make changes or control over how student loans are administered."…

Recently a federal judge in Connecticut laid the "smackdown" on World Wide Wrestling, Inc., (WWE) by denying its motion for summary judgment against two former WWE wrestlers. The wrestlers, Even Singleton and Vito LoGrasso, filed suit against WWE in…

The New York Times has reported that the divorce rate in Spain is 17 percent lower than it was in 2006, when changes to the law simplified divorce proceedings. The Spanish Judicial Council attributes this decrease in divorce to Spain's protracted economic crisis.

This article recognizes that there is no shortage of debate about the best way to seat judges. Some states, like Tennessee, are considering moving from a judicial appointment system to an election system, while others, like Pennsylvania, are attempting to move their system in the other direction.

The legal profession is amid one of its most tumultuous periods ever. The way law firms conduct business is changing. Technology is upending many long held established practices. New entrants are entering the market and changing the way legal services are provided. And while there may be pros and cons to these changes, they are largely occurring because they produce better results for the ultimate end users of the legal system—clients.

In a recent article, the New York Times discusses parenting partnerships, also known as co-parenting, in which two people maintain no romantic relationship but have and share responsibility for a child. In the article, proponents suggest parenting partnerships as an alternative to the traditional family framework by allowing single people to share the financial and emotional stresses of raising children. The complex legal issues involved in such an arrangement were considered as well.