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.

What is it that clients value in, and want from, their lawyers? How does a lawyer meet the requirements of their clients? This information has traditionally been gathered informally and only shared internally within offices that collect client feedback. To address this gap in our understanding, IAALS partnered with Avvo to create Think Like a Client. This report uses an evidence-based approach to illuminate clients' preferences, needs, and expectations when working with their attorneys, providing valuable and much-needed insight into how lawyers can better serve their clients.

In his Voices from the Field interview, John Walsh, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, encourages legal education reformers to consider new strategies to help teach students more than just legal analysis and case reading, so that they have a better idea of what to expect when they walk into a courtroom as new attorneys.

Governor Christie criticized the Democratic-led senate for not yet having scheduled confirmation hearings for the supreme court nominees he named in late January. According to a judiciary committee member, they are looking into financial issues involving one of the nominees.

In January 2019, IAALS published recommendations for improving dispositive motions practice in state and federal courts, calling for a new paradigm for motion practice in the United States. Now, judges around the country are answering the call.

The New York State Bar Association is devoting a segment of its annual meeting to two themes that have emerged with increasing urgency in bar associations around the country: "Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers" and "Supporting Today's Lawyers." I'm here in New York to participate in person, but I just learned that you can tune in at 2:00 pm ET to view the full Presidential Summit, which serves as the centerpiece of the NYSBA's week-long annual meeting.

University of Georgia Law is conducting a survey of people working in the legal field to determine what research skills are most valuable for law graduates.

In April, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts hosted a webinar focused on the Intersection of Technology, Domestic Violence, and Family Courts during COVID-19, and shared how tools we use on a daily basis can become lethal weapons when intimate partner violence is involved.

The issue of social media and juries is not a new one, but a recent study sought to identify ways courts can minimize juror-use of social media and better protect the long-standing institution of a fair and impartial jury. The study surveyed hundreds of jurors to determine whether they felt tempted to use social media during the trial and deliberation process. Based upon feedback, the authors have specific courtroom recommendations for judges.

Having raised $1.2 million and received Mayor Emanuel’s endorsement, Mary Jane Theis defeated her opponents in the Democratic primary by a 2-1 margin. Theis was appointed to fill a supreme court vacancy in 2010 and will face the Republican candidate in November to keep her seat.

IAALS' Law Jobs: By the Numbers tool, an effort to provide a new perspective on law school rankings, will sunset in September 2020. The project was an integral part of our journey to our current work, empowering many across the country to build, analyze, and compare employment outcomes among law schools, with over 116,000 calculations being made since launching in 2013.

A national conversation is ongoing about the future of our civil justice system, and research is being conducted on the litigation process by a number of individuals and organizations. To help make sense of the latest research and to bring it down to a manageable size, we have created a new report that synthesizes the relevant empirical research conducted by a variety of organizations and individuals.

John S. Gleason is Regulation Counsel for the Colorado Supreme Court, where he directs the office responsible for lawyer admissions, registration, regulation, and client protection. He recently sat down with Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers to talk about legal education and the needs of the profession. In his Voices from the Field interview, Gleason talks about the ethical pitfalls that many law students and new attorneys need exposure to and practice navigating through, and provides insights into how law professors can help.

Earlier this month, IAALS Manager Michael Houlberg joined Presiding Judge Clemens Landau of the Salt Lake City Justice Court for a webinar that covered new ideas and practices that legal service providers have developed from the COVID-19 pandemic—many of which may bolster the justice system long into the future.

Professor Ann C. Hodges, University of Richmond Law School, has published an article on Using Experiential Education to Develop Human Resources for the Nonprofit Community: A Course Study Analysis. The paper analyzes a course in Nonprofit Organizations that incorporates a community-based project, and can serve as a resource for other professors interested in implementing experiential education models.

The senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to appoint appellate judges with legislative confirmation. The proposal would give the general assembly sixty days to act on a nomination or it would automatically be confirmed. The house later approved the same measure. If approved by a two-thirds vote of the general assembly in 2013, the proposal will go before the voters in 2014.

I am thrilled to have officially joined IAALS as CEO on June 1. With 15 years of unparalleled success, IAALS is stronger than ever—and I look forward to contributing to the innovation and collaboration that are at the heart of its mission.

Courts in many countries have been striving to provide various services to help facilitate the increasing number of self-represented litigants who need their services—especially in family law cases. In Ontario, Canada, the National Self-Represented Litigants Project recently published An Open Letter to the Canadian Judiciary, meant to encourage a dialogue between self-represented litigants (SRLs) and judges, who may struggle at times to effectively assist SRLs in their courtrooms.

In response to concerns expressed by senate Democrats about a supreme court nominee’s lack of courtroom experience, Governor Christie noted that the state bar association found the nominee to be qualified, but the nominee was ultimately rejected by a 7-6 vote. He would have been the first openly gay justice and the third African-American to serve on the supreme court.

Special masters can provide adjunct services to free up time for judges and court administrators—which has become crucial in the wake of the pandemic. But most people have very little experience with special masters or understanding of what they do. Think “Swiss army knife.”