News & Updates

This week, January 8-9, 2015, the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure will meet in Phoenix, Arizona. The December 2, 2014, Report from the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules notes that substantial time has been given to "exploring the possibilities of enhancing rules reform by means of pilot projects that put possible new rules into actual practice," and supplemental resources for the meeting suggest that discussion of pilot projects will only continue.

In the sole supreme court race this fall, both the incumbent and the challenger have qualified for public financing, but a super PAC known as N.C. Judicial Coalition has formed to support the incumbent. The election will determine whether the 4-3 balance on the court will tilt in favor of conservative or liberal justices.

It was the founders’ vision that we establish a more perfect union, with justice first and foremost in achieving that goal. To do this, we must rebuild our justice system to ensure that people’s needs are realized in an accessible, fair, equitable, and accountable way.

The Women's Legal Centre ACT (Australian Capital Territory), in the Australian capital of Canberra, has opened a divorce clinic for women from diverse cultural backgrounds. The clinic provides free legal advice and representation to women in troubled marriages who may encounter issues navigating the Australian legal system.

Supporters of a ballot measure that would alter the composition of the nominating commission for appellate court vacancies are unhappy with the issue summary prepared by the secretary of state’s office and plan to file a lawsuit. The proposed amendment’s sponsor describes part of the summary as “flat-out untrue” and calls the secretary of state a “dishonest broker of partisan politics.”

In April, the Colorado Access to Justice Commission released a strategic vision report, which outlines its two-year plan to advance access to justice throughout the state.

This month, IAALS will convene a group of plaintiffs’ attorneys from Colorado and around the country to discuss the present and future impact of civil justice reform in the United States. We look to others for input on how best to implement the upcoming changes and what culture shifts are necessary to achieve the intended positive impact, and have held a number of convenings this spring to gather input.

Regent University School of Law, the newest partner of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, integrates some form of professional identity development in nearly all courses. During their time at Regent, students continually revisit the question, 'What Kind…

For states looking to implement or improve an allied legal professional program, IAALS' new report provides best practices regarding considerations like fee sharing, regulatory requirements, and program costs.

The California State Bar recently issued a final opinion weighing in on the question of an attorney’s ethical duties in handling the discovery of electronically stored information. In its Formal Opinion No. 2015-193, the State Bar of California…

Senator Durbin of Illinois formed a thirteen-member, bipartisan screening committee to recommend potential candidates to President Obama for three judicial vacancies in the Northern District. Before making final recommendations, Durbin plans to consult with his Republican counterpart, Senator Kirk, who uses a similar committee process.

IAALS has launched a new project to understand and incorporate public perspectives on regulatory reform in the legal profession. This initiative provides states with essential tools and resources to engage the public—those most affected by legal reform—in these complex discussions.

Today, December 1, the long awaited amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure go into effect. The “package” of amendments include rule changes across a number of rules (specifically Rules 1, 4, 16, 26, 30, 31, 33, and 34) and focus on increasing cooperation, achieving proportionality in discovery, and encouraging early case management by judges.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that rejected a constitutional challenge to the state’s merit selection system. Opponents of the process argued that having five lawyers on the nine-member supreme court nominating commission, who are not popularly elected or appointed by an elected official, violates the Equal Protection Clause’s “one person, one vote” requirement.

The World Justice Forum 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, was a gathering of global leaders, jurists, and human rights champions who came together to confront the rising tide of authoritarianism and reverse the global rule of law recession. The event provided a space to share lessons learned and chart a path forward of hope and action.

At the mid-winter Conference of Chief Justices meeting in late January, the Civil Justice Improvements Committee presented its draft recommendations to the Chiefs. I was present as an observer so that, as we complete the work of the recommendations, we can take the input from the midwinter meeting into account.

Based on Colorado’s Know Your Judge PSA, the North Carolina Bar Association has released a its own PSA that urges voters to take the initiative to become informed about their judicial candidates before they vote and not to skip the judicial portion of the ballot.

There is lots of talk about making changes in legal education at law schools. That's no surprise, law professors love to talk. If they loved practicing law, they'd be lawyers. Instead, ensconced in the ivory tower, safe from the perils of the real world, they leisurely debate what should happen to those poor souls (law students) who must leave the hallowed halls of law school, and actually go out in the world to practice law.

The state chamber plans to publicize its recently completed ratings of supreme court justices standing for retention, based on their rulings in business cases.

Our Foundations for Practice survey set out to define what new lawyers are lacking. After working with state bar organizations to distribute the survey across the country, we are sitting on more than 24,000 responses from lawyers in all 50 states. Today, we are releasing two exciting outcomes from the survey.