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Illinois, like many other states, sees a high number of self-represented litigants in its trial courts. Many people navigating the courts without help fall into the not-so-sweet spot of earning too much money to qualify for limited legal aid and pro… MORE
News and Updates
Civil jury trials have been few since the pandemic began in March 2020. Cases stalled and slowed while courts and litigators worked to find a way to advance the docket. Phone conferences and Zoom replaced in-person hearings, case-management… MORE
News and Updates
Last summer, I joined IAALS on an interim basis to lead the institute and to chair a national search for my successor. My interim role will end soon. With the help of Heidrick & Struggles, we recruited an exceptional leader, David Yellen. David… MORE
News and Updates
In March, IAALS wrapped up our Pandemic Positives Speaker Series, bringing together a number of courts and legal service providers who, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, transformed their day-to-day operations to continue serving the public.… MORE
News and Updates
In a guest column for the Montana Standard, 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.
“We… MORE
News and Updates
On May 1, amendments to the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect, several of which provide better notice of parties’ rights and obligations at the outset and throughout a lawsuit. The rule amendments are also paired with judicial council-… MORE
News and Updates
Pilot projects have long been used when implementing reforms—they provide a smaller-scale testing ground to administer the changes, they create an opportunity to gain broader support for innovation, and they allow for evaluation and improvement… MORE
News and Updates
Last October, IAALS published the groundbreaking report Building a Better Bar: The Twelve Building Blocks of Minimum Competence, containing clear, evidence-based recommendations and guideposts for improving the bar exam and lawyer licensing. At the… MORE
News and Updates
What qualities do Americans want in their state judges? Professor Herbert Kritzer, the Marvin J. Sonosky Chair of Law and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, addresses the question in the Spring 2021 issue of Judicature. In a… MORE
News and Updates
In May, the National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) at Fordham Law School published the latest iteration of the Justice Index, a national survey of state civil justice policies that provides “a snapshot of the degree to which each U.S.… MORE