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There have been significant efforts toward reform at the state court level, including the creation of numerous task forces and pilot projects around the country. In partnership with the National Center for State Courts, we have supported the… MORE
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The family justice system was built on the assumption that litigants would be represented by lawyers, but more and more family court litigants do not have attorneys. IAALS launched the Court Compass project to explore user-friendly, streamlined, and… MORE
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Much has been done to address the cost and delay in the civil justice process, and much of that work has focused on discovery. Recognizing that there are equal challenges and opportunities for improvement in the area of motions practice, IAALS has… MORE
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What skills and qualities do clients value in the lawyers they hire? This project, which tapped into years of client reviews of lawyers, explored that important question.
Objective:
To begin to fill the gap in our collective knowledge about what… MORE
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Recommendations for Judicial Discipline Systems
The public must have confidence that judges who abuse their power or undermine the justice system by engaging in misconduct are not above the law and will be disciplined. So, IAALS determined that we… MORE
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The current family justice system often works against the capacity of parents to reach fair, amicable, and cooperative solutions. The adversarial nature of the court process can have a profound negative impact on parties’ emotions and finances—many… MORE
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Judges, courts, and attorneys alike recognize that case management is an essential element in moving a case fairly, efficiently, and economically through the process. In fact, case management has become an important tool in combatting the problems… MORE
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The research on culture change, and legal system culture change in particular, suggests that it is an uphill battle. While we have a clear challenge ahead, that does not mean that it is impossible. Rather, we must recognize and focus on the role of… MORE
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Choosing a law school—or whether to go to law school—can be one of the most important decisions you will make in life. But you are often asked to make that decision without all the information necessary to have an informed process. From 2013 through… MORE
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Courts have responded to the increasing numbers of self-represented litigants in family cases in a number of ways, and, for the most part, these efforts have been informed largely by perspectives of judges, attorneys, and court staff. All too often… MORE