Living in a digital world means that traditionally legacy-based institutions like banks and courts are finally evolving their operations to keep pace with innovative tech advances across our daily lives. For example, the use of apps like Venmo and technologies… Read more »
Features
Introduction to Nonlawyer Navigator Report Study
The access-to-civil-justice crisis looms large. An estimated 30 million litigants each year are reported to lack legal representation in the state courts. A full spectrum of approaches is required to mitigate this crisis. The Conference of Chief Justices and the… Read more »
A Lookback at the 2019 NACM Annual Conference
The National Association for Court Management held its 2019 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 22-25. The theme of this year’s annual conference was Court and Society: Creating Public Trust Through Engagement and Innovation. The agenda was full of… Read more »
NACM Members Honored for Their Accomplishments
Warren E. Burger Award The National Association for Court Management (NACM) congratulates the 2019 Warren E. Burger Award recipient, Michigan State University Professor Maureen Connor. The National Center for State Courts’ Warren E. Burger Award recognizes an individual whose service… Read more »
NACM’s Voice of the Profession Survey Results and Future Plans
Last August at NACM’s annual conference in Atlanta, then President Vicky Carlson delivered the association’s inaugural State of the Profession Address. If you missed it or would like to listen to it again, it is available on the NACM YouTube… Read more »
Innovating Justice: Will AI and LawTech Deliver Jack Cade’s Utopia?
This intentionally light-hearted article, in juxtaposition to the seriousness of the subject, is about judicial and legal efficiency. Not efficiency in the management consultant’s sense—less pay and more work make us “efficient” (if not despondent)—but, instead, how we, as court… Read more »
Ten Things You Should Know About Blockchain Today: A Guide for Court Managers
The story of the blockchain, law, and trust is still unfolding. It just might be one of the most important stories of our time.… [S]ystems based on blockchain technology’s foundational innovation could influence all aspects of business, government, and human… Read more »
Effective Case Management: Striking the Balance Between Efficiency and Quality
Editor’s Note: The paper featured in this article comes from a special issue of Criminal Justice Policy Review, commissioned by the Data Collaborative for Justice. The Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, funded by… Read more »
Developing an Alternative Dispute Resolution System: Created to Serve, Driven to Grow
From the federal government to the smallest municipality, each bureaucracy is designed for a specific, unique function. In this labyrinth, each component can function independently; it is easy to lose sight that they best serve the public by becoming interdependent… Read more »
Redefining Case Management
Case management is part of every civil justice reform proposal afoot in the nation. It is mentioned at every conference and in every set of recommendations. But here is the rub. The literature and experience on the ground all pointed… Read more »
A Fresh Start: What’s the Court’s Role?
It was a hot, muggy summer evening in 2010 that lead 19-year-old Peyton to the home of a schoolmate.1 Adding bored friends to a summer weekend with parents away at the Gulf meant the kids had the perfect ingredients for… Read more »
The Work of the National Judicial Opioid Task Force: A Significant Response to a National Crisis
In 2017 opioid overdoses in the United States accounted for 47,600 deaths (up from 42,000 the year prior). The crisis continues to take a heavy toll, resulting in about 120 deaths per day last year. The Center for Disease Control… Read more »
From Letter Bombs to Poisoned Chocolates—What to Watch for and Do
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the eNewsletter Judicial Edge, published by the National Judicial College. Recently, more than a dozen pipe bombs were delivered across the country to prominent public figures at their homes and workplaces. Although none… Read more »
Making the Impossible Possible Through Collaboration: Athens-Clarke County Justice Mental Health Collaborative
Helping citizens diagnosed with mental illness while saving taxpayers money? “Impossible!” you say. Yet that is exactly what is happening in Athens, Georgia. The Justice Mental Health Collaborative in Athens is working to reduce the number of individuals in local… Read more »
Have a Plan in Place to Deal with Suspicious Packages
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the eNewsletter Judicial Edge, published by the National Judicial College. The December 1989 mail-bomb assassination of Judge Robert S. Vance of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit taught many judges… Read more »
Ready for Something New? Appellate Mediation Is on Its Way
Editor’s Note: The original version of this article was published in the fall 2018 issue of Virginia Family Law Quarterly, a publication of the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar. In 2018 the Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV)… Read more »
A New Perspective on Helping Court Customers
As a court administrator, I was fully aware that court litigants and users needed assistance to make their way through the court system as self-represented litigants. As a consultant, I have worked with courts on operational best practices and strategies… Read more »
The Importance of Defining Our Roles
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Texas Association for Court Administration Journal, vol. 46, no. 1, January 2018. We’re all cogs in the same wheel: judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, court coordinators, bailiffs. Too often, it doesn’t seem to… Read more »
Empowering Employees to Embrace Change
Change is one constant in all our courts. Resistance to change is normal because change disrupts the current comfort zone. Change can undermine our need to feel appreciated, valued, and in control. One of the biggest changes a court can… Read more »
Jude Del Preore, “Keeping It Alive”—The Impact of 45 Years in Court Administration
Those of us committed to court administration recognize that the strength of this profession is directly linked to men and women with the vision and commitment not only to advance the profession, but also to develop and support others along… Read more »