In February 2016, IAALS hosted its Fourth Civil Justice Reform Summit. The goal of the Summit was to bring together federal and state court judges, court administrators, attorneys on both sides of the “v,” academics, and users of the system to chart the next steps for creating the just, speedy, and inexpensive courts of tomorrow.
The Summit provided a unique opportunity for discussion about the state of innovation across our federal and state courts—and a corresponding unique opportunity to share lessons that can be learned from those very different experiences and dockets. It also highlighted the need for civil justice reform, efforts that are currently underway, and ideas for future impact.
Our goal is to spread that energy beyond the Summit. This report summarizes the discussion at the Summit and captures current efforts toward reform, challenges of implementation, and specific proposals that were shared. It is our hope that these ideas for impact inspire attorneys, judges, our courts, and other members of the system to embrace their role in creating the just, speedy, and inexpensive courts of tomorrow.