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Message from Our Executive Director |
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With the announcement of 10th Circuit Court Judge Neil M. Gorsuch as the nominee for our nation’s high court, media interest has been swirling around IAALS’ involvement with him. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with Judge Gorsuch on projects and convenings in our effort to create just, speedy, and accessible courts and achieve greater access to justice for all. As we’ve said, Judge Gorsuch is a man of high intelligence, integrity, and impartiality, and the media inquiries have provided an outstanding platform to discuss the importance of these “judicial foundations” when it comes to evaluating any judge.
Rebecca Love Kourlis, IAALS Executive Director
February 2017
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Divorce Reform Takes Center Stage in Special “IAALS Issue” of Family Court Review
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The January 2017 edition of
Family Court Review is dedicated to the
Honoring Families Initiative’s Family Bar Summit: Shaping the System for the Families We Serve. The two-day Summit engaged a diverse group of practitioners as active participants in the movement to improve the system for resolving family conflict. Various themes emerged from the interactive conversation, along with a series of recommendations for reshaping divorce and separation processes to support better outcomes for children and provide greater accessibility, efficiency, and fairness for all parties.
The Summit report was republished as the capstone piece in this dedicated edition of
Family Court Review, which also features articles by Summit attendees on topics that were discussed during the Summit or that build on emerging themes from the capstone report.
Read more.
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ABA Midyear Meeting Recognizes IAALS’ Achievements, Embraces Civil Justice Reforms
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Several representatives from IAALS were on hand at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Miami to take part in several important conversations.
In particular, a panel discussion focused on the current challenges facing our civil justice system, recommendations for achieving civil justice for all, and how to make these recommendations a reality in our state courts—and how bar leaders can play an important role in achieving such changes. The ABA House of Delegates adopted a resolution urging state courts to develop—and bar associations to promote—a plan to improve the delivery of civil justice. Resolution 102 relies on IAALS and NCSC guidance from our report,
Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All.
Sue Carparelli, Executive Director of our Center for Out-of-Court Divorce, was also on hand to accept the Louis M. Brown Meritorious Recognition Award for the Center, IAALS, and the University of Denver.
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Survey Says:
Experience Matters When Hiring New Lawyers
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Many legal employers still rely on criteria like class rank, law school prestige, and law review participation to inform hiring decisions, but how effective are those criteria in making good hires? IAALS has released a new Foundations for Practice report,
Hiring the Whole Lawyer: Experience Matters, which found that experience is actually more important.
“When it comes to hiring, our respondents believe that the best way to hire lawyers with the skills, competencies, and characteristics they desire is to hire based on experience,” according to Alli Gerkman, Director of
Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers. “This gives legal employers an opportunity to improve their hiring outcomes and suggests that law schools should continue to create experience-based opportunities for their students."
Read more.
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IAALS Contributes Chapter on JPE to Latest Edition of Long-Running ABA Publication
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The American Bar Association recently published the 8th edition of
The Improvement of the Administration of Justice, in which IAALS contributed a chapter on Judicial Performance Evaluation.
First published in 1938 and popularly known as the “Handbook on Judicial Administration,” the book has served for several decades as a resource for judges, court administrators, lawyers, and others interested in the improvement of our justice system.
IAALS’ chapter on JPE explores the expansion and enhancement of judicial performance evaluation programs around the country since 2001.
Read more.
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Dan Ritchie Comes Home to IAALS at the University of Denver
Daniel Ritchie and his longtime assistant, Carolyn Foster, moved into IAALS' offices here in John Moye Hall at the beginning of January. Dan is an extraordinary visionary, who transformed the University of Denver as well as many other entities with which he has been affiliated over time, including IAALS. Read more.
One Year In: Judges Examine the Impact of Changes to the Rules of Civil Procedure
In the time since the new federal rules’ implementation, both state and federal judges have had a chance to reflect on their overall impact to date. In a recent
Colorado Lawyer article, Magistrate Judge Nina Wang of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and Judge Morris Hoffman of the Denver District Court discuss the positive impacts from their perspective, as well as the challenges that remain. Read more.
Oregon’s Innovative Trial Model Offers User-Friendly Option for Family Law Cases
The Deschutes County Circuit Court in Oregon recently adopted an Informal Domestic Relations Trial process to improve access to family court for parties who prefer and will benefit from a simpler decision-making process than a traditional trial. Read more.
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