Civil Procedure Experts Gather At Unique Summit

In early March, IAALS hosted the 2009 Civil Rules Summit: From Anecdotes to Action, which brought together a group of judges, lawyers, academics and business leaders dedicated to solving problems of disproportionate cost and delay in our civil justice system.

This esteemed group of participants included Arizona Chief Justice Thomas Zlaket (ret.), Qwest Executive Vice President and General Counsel Richard Baer, and University of Michigan Law School Professor Edward Cooper. Summit guests were also treated to a keynote address by U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal.

During this two-day event, participants attended panel discussions on topics of domestic innovation, worldwide reform efforts and ways to pilot and measure change. The Summit also provided a forum for a dynamic discussion about next steps in order to improve America's system of justice.

Please click here to download reports created for the Summit. We will also release event re-cap materials later this spring.

Reform Principles Address Cumbersome Civil Justice System

IAALS, in collaboration with the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) Task Force on Discovery, has released substantive reform Principles to address issues of escalating cost, delay and lack of access within the civil justice system.

The Final Report on the Joint Project of the ACTL Task Force on Discovery and IAALS includes 29 proposed Principles, which focus on four core areas: pleadings, discovery, experts and judicial management. One of the major Principles also recommends that the "one size fits all" application of uniform rules across all cases be replaced with flexibility in applying specialized procedures, in order to promote more efficient and affordable outcomes.

The Report has already received widespread interest, including an Associated Press story that was re-published by scores of print, broadcast and Internet media outlets including The New York Times, USA Today and The Washington Post. Please click here to view media coverage.

In coming months, IAALS will work with state jurisdictions to create, implement and measure reform recommendations.

To download a copy, please click here.

Annual Report Chronicles IAALS Momentum
in 2008

We are pleased to announce the release of our Annual Report, Facing Problems, Finding Solutions, which provides highlights from the Institute's third year.

In 2008, IAALS published two electronic discovery reports, undertook a major national survey in partnership with the American College of Trial Lawyers Task Force on Discovery and solidified its position as a national leader in judicial performance evaluation. The Institute also partnered with the American Judicature Society to release a detailed judicial selection report. To learn more about these accomplishments and additional work of IAALS, please click here.

 

Findings of Sweeping Federal Court Caseflow Management Study Released

Civil Case Processing in the Federal District Courts: A Twenty-First Century Analysis is the most comprehensive caseflow management study conducted in more than a decade. This report takes an in-depth look at the strengths and weaknesses in the management of civil cases and makes recommendations for changes designed to produce more efficient case processing. The report has drawn attention from the national and international legal community, and has even attracted extensive interest from the legal community blogosphere, including an article by Law360. Please click here to download a copy of this report.

As part of its efforts to eliminate excessive cost and delay in the civil justice system, IAALS is actively seeking partnerships with corporations, insurance companies and law firms in order to collect and analyze data on the costs of litigation. The data will not be linked to any provider, but will be analyzed broadly to assess the real costs that parties are bearing for litigation so as to be able to target specific problems. If you would be willing to participate, please contact us.