News & Updates

Under a new code of judicial conduct that goes into effect in January, the political activities of judicial candidates are strictly curtailed. The new rules were issued at the same time that a judge is awaiting trial on bribery charges.

A newly elected judge sent letters to 700 local lawyers soliciting $100 contributions to help defray his campaign debt.

The Senate confirmed supreme court justice Morgan Christen's appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Governor Palin appointed Christen to the state high court in 2009.

Questions were raised as to whether Justice Michael Gableman violated the state ethics code and the code of judicial conduct by accepting free legal services in defending himself against a judicial ethics violation charge arising from his 2008 campaign. In two cases, Gableman voted in favor of parties represented by the firm that provided free legal services to him.

The Winter 2011 edition of Transparent Courthouse® Quarterly is now available. Transparent Courthouse® Quarterly is a quarterly newsletter reporting highlights from all IAALS initiatives. Sign up for Transparent Courthouse® Quarterly and other IAALS…

Another take on what legal education reform is not (Dean Martin Katz recently posted on the topic here): The purpose of a skills class, a clinic, or a course that incorporates new teaching methods is not to teach when to reply to a motion, where the court house is, or how to fill out forms, it is to better teach doctrine and how to apply that doctrine to practical problems.

In his latest article on law schools, David Segal takes aim at the law school accreditation standards set by the American Bar Association.

Author Henry Kelston reviews the December 13 hearing on "The Costs and Burdens of Civil Discovery" convened by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis testified in the hearing.

Change in legal education is necessary, but it will require the effort of schools, professors, students, media, and the public: The problems facing the legal profession are huge, but not insurmountable. The question is whether more law schools and professors are able to leave their comfort zones, law students are able to think more globally and long term, and the popular press and public are willing to credit those who are already moving in the right direction.

American Bar Association President Bill Robinson responds to recent scrutiny of the judiciary.

The November 2011 edition of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers newsletter is now available. Sign up for this and other IAALS newsletters here.

The December 2011 edition of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers newsletter is now available. Sign up for this and other IAALS newsletters here.

The inaugural edition of Rule One Review is now available. Rule One Review is a quarterly newsletter that shares information about pilot projects and other civil rules projects being monitored by the Rule One Initiative. Sign up for Rule One Review…

Pundits are drawn to extremes. Perhaps that is simply the nature of things. But in the debate over the future of legal education, espousing extremes hinders the discussion. At one extreme are the loudest critics of the current state of legal education. At the other extreme are the defenders of the status quo. But at its core, this discussion draws a false dichotomy between theory and practice.

This opinion piece reviews the Citizens United v. FEC decision and predicts that it will have a detrimental effect on state judicial elections.

The October 2011 edition of Selection Snapshots is now available.

Senate Republicans filibustered for the second time an Obama judicial nominee. Only one Republican senator joined Senate Democrats in voting to end the confirmation debate, but they fell six votes short of the required sixty votes.

The December 2011 edition of Selection Snapshots is now available.

The American Bar Association's Legal Education Section has approved changes to what is required of law schools when reporting job placement information. The changes will "expand the level of detail of graduate employment data law schools must report…

The interest in reforming the graduate level education experience is not unique to law. The Economist reports that Harvard Business School is experimenting with a new curriculum, "FIELD" (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development), that embraces "learning by doing."