News & Updates

Harvard's new Initiative for Learning and Teaching recently kicked off with a conference focused on teaching and learning, including demonstrations of innovative teaching methods.

Technology has always been a key component of efforts to expand the realm of legal services. Yet, Ontario's former Attorney General Chris Bentley argues that the biggest roadblock to the development of direct to consumer legal technology tools is the lawyer monopoly on legal services.

Dean Rachel Van Cleave of Golden Gate University School of Law recently published an article discussing the optimism of current law students and the responsibility of law schools to "have the courage to make our students' success our first priority." She advocates for law schools to commit to their students by providing them an education that matches their enthusiasm.

The house of representatives approved a measure that would expand the governor’s power over the state’s judicial nominating commissions. The governor appoints the nine members of each commission, with the bar making recommendations for four of those members.

In this unprecedented time, IAALS continues in its work to ensure everyone who needs it has access to justice we can believe in. Our mission is critical, now more than ever—and we rely on a tremendous group of partners who help guide our work. We are thrilled to announce three new advisors: James J. Sandman, Kathryn A. Reilly, and Joey Orduña Hastings.

Change is happening in law schools across the country. While most are evolving independently, many schools are working toward the same end: developing new teaching methods and strategies that teach students skills that will give them an edge with employers. A recent U.S. News and World Report article highlights a few of these efforts from Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Consortium schools, which emphasize practical skills training and a more hands-on understanding of what it means to be a lawyer.

The three supreme court justices up for retention in November are, reluctantly, campaigning to keep their seats. An effort known as Restore Justice 2012 has been launched to defeat them, citing “activist” decisions in cases involving health care, school vouchers, and corporate liability.

​Last month, the National Center for State Courts released their 2020 Trends in State Courts, which includes discussion of the Family Justice Initiative and its Principles for Family Justice Reform. The principles emphasize problem solving and cooperation between parties—especially when children are involved.

A 93% satisfaction measure is not something you see every day. And, it is even more unusual in circumstances where people reporting such a high percentage account for both winners and losers, which is exactly why Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant focused on this measure during his 2014 Utah State of the Judiciary Address. Chief Justice Durrants's explanation for the measure can be summed up in two words: procedural fairness.

Competing proposals for judicial recusal were offered by the chief justice and a supreme court candidate. One plan would allow the other justices to determine when a colleague should recuse, while the other would leave the decision to an independent person or group. The full court must approve a rules change.

IAALS has released a new report which showcases the innovation occurring in courts, self-help centers, legal aid centers, and law/public libraries throughout the country to address the needs of self-represented litigants in the midst of a global pandemic.

A recently published a paper, entitled “A Primer on Professionalism for Doctrinal Professors,” discusses how and why doctrinal professors should incorporate attorney professionalism into their curriculum. Professor Schaefer offers guidance in developing course outcomes that connect legal subject matter with issues of professionalism and methods for doing so.

As of mid-April, the three supreme court justices standing for retention in November had each raised between $156,000 and $160,000 for their retention effort, most of which came from lawyers and law firms. Committees handle the justices’ campaign finances, as the code of judicial conduct bars them from personally soliciting contributions.

Following a new law giving the state's governor the sole power to fill mid-term judicial vacancies, former Montana Supreme Court Justice James C. Nelson calls for the implementation of a merit-based judicial selection process to keep Montana’s courts free from partisanship and outside influence.

On Tuesday, September 16, the Judicial Conference of the United States forwarded the proposed rule amendments to the Supreme Court with the recommendation that they be adopted. The announcement recognized that these amendments represent “significant” proposals designed to promote the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of civil cases. The Supreme Court has until May 1, 2015 to consider the amendments.

On December 8, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware adopted a new Default Standard for Discovery, Including Discovery of Electronically Stored Information (ESI). This new standard announces the expectation that parties reach cooperative agreements regarding discovery, but applies limited default standards in the absence of such an agreement or court order.

The first two Paths to Justice convenings and webinars, focused on the pandemic, brought together diverse perspectives and partners to brainstorm lessons learned, identify continuing challenges, and inspire additional research. Out of those events, IAALS has published two issue papers highlighting outcomes and key takeaways.

The institution of marriage in the United States is stronger today than it has been for quite some time—or is it? Recent articles from The New York Times and The Week debate the issue and reach different conclusions. The NYT points to many reasons for the drop in divorce, while The Week argues the data is flawed and the state of marriage is not quite so positive.

On September 20th and 21st in Denver, IAALS will host our Third Civil Justice Reform Summit. Now, with a wealth of data from state and federal jurisdictions that are experimenting with innovative case management strategies and new rules of civil procedure, this Summit will focus on the landscape of innovation and how lawyers, judges, court personnel, and academics can further advance innovative solutions.

The Oregon Supreme Court has approved a program that will license individuals who aren’t lawyers to provide limited legal services in family law and landlord/tenant issues. This makes Oregon the fifth state in the country to enlist a new tier of legal professionals in the effort to provide more access to legal help.