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Message from Our Executive Director |
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Nearly ten years ago, I stood before the American College of Trial Lawyers and challenged them to become leaders of change in our failing civil justice system. In the years since, they and so many others have heeded the call and charted a new course for the future of our system. Our collective commitment to change has us upon the brink of a more just, speedy, and inexpensive system for all. Last month, I returned to the ACTL, this time to receive, with thanks and acknowledgement that the award goes not just to me, the Samuel E. Gates Award in recognition of this work. I observed to the College Fellows that “the heaviest burden is a great potential.” Collectively, we have the potential to change the system, and we must live up to that potential.
Rebecca Love Kourlis, IAALS Executive Director
October 2016
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Celebrating Constitution Day with the O'Connor Advisory Committee
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Along with many others around the country, IAALS celebrated Constitution Day on Friday, September 16, to mark the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Throughout the preceding week, several members of our O'Connor Advisory Committee shared their perspectives on the history, impact, and promise of the Constitution on our blog, including:
Read More.
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ABA Offers Recommendations for the Future of Legal Services
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The American Bar Association’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services has released a report that identifies problems with the delivery of legal services along with suggested remedies, such as expansion of virtual access to the court system and the need to stay up to date with relevant technologies that may increase access to legal services.
IAALS is also focusing on the importance of leveraging technology to help the public better access the courts and legal system, stemming from our Court Compass for Litigants convening and 4th Civil Justice Reform Summit.
Read more.
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Significant Efforts To Implement Proportionality in Discovery Continue
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When significant amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect last December, we celebrated this important achievement but also stressed that
how the rules were implemented would be key to seeing a positive impact.
Important case law has developed in the last year and there are a number of wonderful resources available that summarize it, as well as resources that focus on continuous improvement of the discovery process. We've compiled many of them here, and will continue to monitor the landscape of reform.
Read more.
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ETL Conference Brings Together Law Schools and Practitioners to Discuss Learning Outcomes
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Last month, our 5th Annual Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Conference brought together nearly 100 legal educators, law school administrators, and practitioners to discuss creating meaningful learning outcomes, how to measure them, and turning those outcomes into tangible hiring criteria for legal employers.
Former University of Denver Sturm College of Law Dean Martin Katz was also presented with our ETL Award for his commitment to collaboration in reforming legal education.
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Story Maps Used to Customize Consumer-Oriented Legal Service Solutions
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) recently released
America’s Civil Courts: Whom Do We Serve?—a geospatial story map designed to help the tens of millions of Americans attempting to navigate the civil legal system without a lawyer. Read more. |
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