2017 Court Leadership Conference Agenda

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR PRESIDING JUDGES AND COURT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS in partnership with THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS presents the Second Annual Court Leadership Academy and Leadership Conference
“Becoming Champions of Change – Presiding Judges and Court Executives”
September 24-27, 2017 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton at Paradise Valley in Scottsdale, Arizona

Sunday, September 24, 2017

  • 12:00 to 6:00pm Registration and Conference Information (Grand Ballroom Foyer)
    The Conference hotel, the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton at Paradise Valley – Scottsdale, is a premier 378-room destination property near downtown Scottsdale amenities, including Fashion Square, Arizona’s largest indoor shopping complex, Camelback Mountain, the Canal Waterfront restaurant and entertainment district, the Museum of the West, and numerous golf courses and hiking trails. The hotel has two outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, and tennis courts. The conference room rate is $129/night. This special rate is available from Friday, Sep. 22 thru Thursday, Sep. 28.  All educational activities will be held at the hotel.
  • 2:00 to 4:00pm NAPCO Board of Directors Meeting (Chaparral Room)
    Session Materials: PDF
    The NAPCO Board of Directors will convene for the Annual Board Meeting to discuss business of the organization.
  • 5:30 to 7:00pm Hosted Reception (heavy hors’deauvres; no-host bar) (Bouchon Ballroom)
    Attire is business casual at all educational and social events.  Scottsdale weather in late September is in the low-90s during the day and mid-70s at night. The relative humidity is generally below 23% (dry).
  • 6:00 to 6:30pm Welcome and Opening Remarks (Bouchon Ballroom)
    Hon. Frederick P. Horn, NAPCO Chair, Board of Directors
    Hon. Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Arizona
    Hon. Janet E. Barton, NAPCO President, Presiding Judge, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
    Mary Campbell McQueen, NCSC President 
  • 7:30pm Dinner on Your Own (Scottsdale Restaurants)
    Suggestions and directions to numerous restaurants within a short distance of the hotel will be provided by our host, the Trial Courts of Arizona in Maricopa County, during the registration process.
  • 9:00 to 11:00pm Networking Suite (Presidential Parlor)
    Join your colleagues for a glass of complimentary wine or a beer Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. The suite is an informal gathering place where conferees and their guests can talk about the day’s events, or just meet new friends. 
  • By Appointment “The Doctor Is In” Program
    The National Center for State Courts provides a special on-site service at various national, regional and state judicial/court management conferences to speak with one or more of NCSC’s court service professionals on any desired court topic regarding advice, problems, or assistance from the Center. There is no charge or further obligation. Center consultants will be available throughout the NAPCO/NCSC Conference on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Prior to the Conference, merely send an email to Kent Kelly at to arrange an appointment, or you may contact the Conference staff when you’re at the DoubleTree Resort to schedule a time to meet.

Monday, September 25, 2017 – NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS’ TRIAL COURT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

7:30am to 5:00pm Registration and Conference Information (Grand Ballroom Foyer)

7:30 to 8:30am Continental Breakfast (Grand Ballroom Foyer)

8:15 to 8:45am OPENING CEREMONIES (Grand Ballroom)

  • Presentation of the Colors; Pledge of Allegiance
    Arizona Judicial Branch Security Officers
  • Opening Remarks
    Hon. Janet E. Barton, NAPCO President; Presiding Judge, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
  • Conference Agenda and Announcements
    Raymond Billotte, NAPCO Vice President; Trial Courts Administrator, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County

8:45am to 4:30pm NATONAL CENTER LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (Grand Ballroom)
Session Materials: AGENDA, SLIDES, HANDOUTS, SCENARIO

THE PRINCIPAL FACULTY

  • Mary Campbell McQueen, Esq., President, National Center for State Courts
  • Barry Dornfeld, Ph.D., Principal, Center for Applied Research

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has contracted with the Center for Applied Research (CFAR), a Boston/Philadelphia leadership consultancy affiliated with the Wharton School of Management at the University of Pennsylvania, to facilitate Monday’s Leadership Academy.  NCSC and CFAR have worked together over the past few years on leadership issues in Indiana courts to address new ways to overcome the “silo affect” in loosely coupled trial courts, and in Massachusetts’ courts to improve productive interactions between a central AOC and trial courts.   This joint effort has been an extension of NCSC’s special three year (2008-2011) Harvard Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the State Justice Institute, and directed at improving the knowledge and principles of state court leadership and governance. Ms. McQueen and Dr. Dornfeld co-facilitated the first national Leadership Academy for presiding judges and court executive officers presented at the 2016 NAPCO Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, and are back this year to present another critical dimension of judicial and court leadership; namely, the skills needed to lead and sustain major change in loosely-coupled organizations such as courts.  Not only do professionals in these organizations operate independently, but the work units frequently do as well. Prompting change in such an environment requires leadership methods focused on collegiality, collaboration, and team-building rather than command-and-control or hierarchical approaches used in other types of organizations.

Leading Change:  How to Stimulate and Manage Needed, New Directions in Trial Courts
A recent study showed that when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don’t change their habits, only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully.  Desire and motivation aren’t enough: even when it’s literally a matter of life or death.  The ability to change remains maddeningly elusive.  If the status quo is so potent, how do effective presiding judges and court executives change their trial courts?  How strategically and responsibly do they reform, modify, or reshape the programs, processes and work of the court, or, for that matter, the local justice system

Leadership in these situations is often a matter of relationships, not position; a matter of communication, not edicts; and a matter of persuasion, not power.

The National Center and CFAR will explore the latest findings and research on how high-talent, professionally-based organizations like courts can unlock their potential regarding new approaches and move forward. The faculty will present a series of principles and practices that address our individual beliefs – along with our collective mind-sets in an organizational setting – that combine to create a natural and powerful immunity to change. Some conclusions and studies about change are unique to courts such as Tom Church’s “local legal culture;” others are more universal, involving a general psychological reluctance by most people to adopt new methods and approaches not because of a fear of something new, but based on feelings of loss associated with deep-rooted and familiar patterns of behavior and routines. In the midst of this general immunity to change, the presiding judge/court executive team is called to both recognize when change is necessary, and to cause others to act in desired ways for the benefit of broader purposes. Understanding the built-in human aversion to change is only part of the skill set needed by leaders.  Equally important is the knowledge and ability to bring into play proven, constructive ways to implement and sustain needed change without being undone.  This day, devoted to learning about leadership skills, will give you practical insights and techniques to use to institute positive and durable change in your court and justice system.

There will be some work in advance of this session that you’ll need to complete to get the most out the events planned. All registrants will be asked to read one or two short monographs prior to attending Academy Day. And, you will be requested to submit a short 2-3 paragraph write-up of challenges you have faced or likely will face in leading change. The monographs and instructions regarding your write-up will be emailed to you in early September.  You needn’t worry about them until then. The readings and your work product will not be burdensome.

  • 8:45 to 9:45am The Challenge of Change and Leadership in Turbulent Times (Grand Ballroom)
  • 9:45 to 10:00am Break
  • 10:00 to 11:30am Socratic Panel: Leading Change in Other Loosely-Coupled Sectors: Mayo Clinic-Scottsdale and College of Law at ASU
    Session Materials: PDF
  • 11:30am to 12:30pm Finding the Future Inside: Seeing Your Culture as an Asset for Change
  • 12:30 to 1:30pm Lunch Buffet (Bouchon Ballroom)
  • 1:30 to 2:30pm Building a Coalition for Change (Grand Ballroom)
  • 2:30 to 3:30pm Table Top Exercise: Working on a Change Case Study
  • 3:30 to 3:45pm Break
  • 3:45 to 4:30pm Action Plans and Reflections

4:30 to 6:00pm WINE AND CHEESE RECEPTION (Grand Ballroom Foyer)
A special wine and cheese reception has been arranged by NAPCO where conferees can learn more about the organization and its partnership with the National Center for State Courts to advance sound principles and skills in the governance and management of the nation’s courts.  NAPCO Board Members and representatives of the National Center will be present to talk about the activities of both organizations.

OPTIONAL EVENING EVENTS
The judges and staff of the Judicial Branch in Maricopa County have arranged an optional outing for those that would like to learn more about life in the Southwest, the history of the Valley of the Sun, special cafes, and unique venues in the Paradise Valley – Scottsdale area.  Ollie Trollies will take conferees and their guests from the resort on a historic tour of the “West’s Most Western Town” with a mixture of restaurants where you can enjoy the local cuisine.  As the Trollies proceed to restaurants, tour guides will highlight information about Scottsdale and Arizona landmarks. Conference staff will provide a list of restaurants and offer recommendations.  The Trollies will pick-up conferees and their guests at pre-arranged locations for the return trip to the resort.

Old Town Scottsdale Tour
Winfield Scott, an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War, commanded a company of New York Volunteers and was wounded numerous times at the battles of Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg and Spotsylvania. Scott was also an ordained minister who served numerous parishes after the War in Kansas, Colorado, and California where he earned a doctor of divinity degree from California University. In 1882, he became a U.S. Army Chaplain and was stationed in the Arizona Territory where he purchased 640 acres in what is now Old Town Scottsdale.  Eventually, Scott became a prominent leader and politician in Arizona and the settlement he began became known as Scottsdale.  Nearby cattle ranches and cowboys sparked the City’s present-day moniker, the “West’s Most Western Town.” Many communities still carry “ranch” in their names.  Not far from the Conference Hotel is McCormick Ranch, a former cattle ranch, and Gainey Ranch, an Arabian horse ranch.  Both are upscale planned communities today.   On the original Old Town site is the Little Red School House built in 1909, now home to the Scottsdale Historical Museum.  The first general store, a collection of saloons, and a post office were nearby. Today, Scottsdale’s City Government and a mixture of open park space, restaurants, hotels, cafes, and public buildings grace the birthplace of the city, including Scottsdale’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Center for Performing Arts and the Civic Center Public Library.  The Civic Center Mall hosts many festivals, art shows, concerts, and special events throughout the year.

Scottsdale’s Art District Tour
From early pioneers like Marjorie Thomas, whose circa 1909 painting of Winfield Scott’s beloved burro “Old Maud” hangs in Scottsdale’s Historical Society Museum, to contemporary western artists like Ed Mell, whose “Jack Knife” statute sits in the middle of Main Street, artists and their works have helped mold the identity of Scottsdale as a haven for galleries, studios and southwestern art collectors. Today, there are nearly 100 galleries representing nearly 3000 artists in less than one square mile of the city’s art district.  A variety of small jewelry shops, cafes, and restaurants are scattered throughout the District making for a pleasant evening stroll.  Located near the galleries is the new stylish Scottsdale Waterfront community of retail, office, restaurant, and high-rise residential buildings. Sculptures, fountains, open-air courtyards and a unique Soleri-designed Bridge across the waterway give the area a European flair.

  • 6:00pm Ollie Trollies leave the DoubleTree Resort (pick your destination) (DoubleTree Lobby)
    • Old Town Scottsdale
    • Scottsdale Art District
  • 7:00pm Dinner on Your Own at Recommended Local Restaurants (Scottsdale Restaurants)
  • 9:00pm Ollie Trollies Pick-up and return Guests to DoubleTree Resort (Prearranged Locations)
    • Old Town Scottsdale
    • Scottsdale Art District
  • 8:30 to 11:00pm Networking Suite (Presidential Parlor)

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 – COURT LEADERSHIP SESSIONS

SHARED INTEREST GROUP BREAKFAST DISCUSSIONS (OPTIONAL)
Court leaders who have effectively experienced changes in four key trial court areas will guide casual discussions over breakfast among interested attendees about these important topics. Feel free to join a group, meet fellow participants with similar interests, and gain tips on improving your court from those who have “been there; done that.”  

7:15 to 8:15am “Grab and Go” Hosted Continental Breakfast (Bring breakfast to group session) (Bouchon Ballroom)

  • Shared Interest Group 1:  Can Changing Your Judicial Assignment System Reduce Delay? (San Carlos Room)
    Hon. Patricia Costello, Special Consultant, NCSC
    Assignment Judge (ret.), NJ Superior Court
    Gordon Griller, Principal Court Management Consultant, NCSC
  • Shared Interest Group 2:  Challenges in Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce (Sonora Room)
    Danna Quinn, Human Resources Director, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
    Raymond Billotte, Trial Courts Administrator, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
  • Shared Interest Group 3:  Using the 10 CourTool Measures to gauge Court Performance (Rio Verde Room)
    Hon. John Russo, Administrative/Presiding Judge, Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)
    Greg Popovich, Esq., Court Administrator, Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)
  • Shared Interest Group 4:  Transitioning to a New PJ or CEO: Settling-In Successfully (Chaparral Room)
    Hon. Paula M. Carey, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Trial Courts
    Jon Williams, Court Administrator, Massachusetts Trial Courts

8:20 to 8:30am 2017 JUSTICE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE’S ERNEST C. FRIESEN AWARD (Grand Ballroom)
Award Recipient: To be Announced at the Conference
Award Presenter: Elaine Borakove, JMI President

8:30 to 9:30am KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Using Technology to Improve Access to the Courts (Grand Ballroom)
Gary E. Marchant, Professor of Law, Faculty Director and Fellow, Center for Law Science and Innovation Lincoln Professor of Emerging Technologies, Law and Ethics Senior Stability Scientist, Global Institute of Sustainability, frequently speaks about the intersection of law and science at national and international conferences. He has authored more than 130 articles and book chapters on various issues relating to emerging technologies.  Among other activities, he has served on four National Research Council committees, has been the principal investigator on several major grants, and has organized numerous academic conferences on law and science issues. The phenomenal growth of technology over the last few decades has dramatically affected and improved access to trial courts. Electronic warrants, online dispute resolution, e-judicial dashboards, video hearings, interactive websites, artificial intelligence, caseflow analytics, digital evidence, body cameras, and virtual self-help centers are only the beginning.  As some court futurists have recently noted, “We (the courts) are really technology enterprises that just happen to be courts.” Professor Merchant will challenge our thinking and reveal how the hi-tech / high-touch digital revolution will continue to impact courts in greater ways as the future unfolds.

9:45 to 10:45am CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

  • Fair Justice for All:  Practical Solutions in Setting Fines, Fees and Bail for Indigent Persons (Rio Verde Room)
    – Hon. Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Arizona
    – Laurie Dudgeon, Director, Kentucky AOC; Co-Chair, National Task Force on Fines, Fees and Bail Reform
    In 2016, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators established the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices (the “National Task Force”) to develop recommendations to help ensure our criminal justice systems fairly treats people regardless of race or economic circumstances and better promotes justice and public safety.  Arizona’s Judicial Branch developed one of the first comprehensive reviews of its financial sanctions and pretrial programs in producing a call to action called “Justice for All.” In this workshop, Chief Justice Scott Bales and Laurie Dudgeon will review Arizona’s initiatives and what is happening on the national scene through the National Task Force.
  • Online Dispute Resolution:  Coming to a Trial Court Near You (San Carlos Room)
    – Paul Embley, Director of Technology Services, NCSCM
    – J. Cartwright, Court Innovations Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
    Online dispute resolution, a branch of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is a fast-growing, innovative use a technology to settle disputes between parties. Courts are beginning to move from court-connected ADR proceedings to facilitating internet-based negotiation, mediation and arbitration either as stand-alone approaches or to augment more traditional, formal means of litigation. NCSC recently completed a report on the subject that provides insights for court leaders, and Court Innovations, a startup out of the University of Michigan Law School, has developed software apps that allow smartphone and computer users to resolve and negotiate infractions, petty misdemeanors, warrants, family court compliance, online pleas, or file a small claims civil case… 23 courts in Michigan and Ohio are using it. Come and learn what tomorrow holds.
  • New, Smarter Ways to Manage Multiple Problem-Solving Dockets within a Trial Court (Sonora Room)
    – Michele White, Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts
    – Hon. O. Duane Slone, Fourth Judicial District of Tennessee (Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier Counties)
    – Hon Junius P. Fulton, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Virginia (Greater Norfolk)
    – Richard Woods, Deputy Court Administrator, Problem-Solving Courts, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
    Problem-solving courts have largely developed one-by-one in unconnected ways; commonly sparked by a judicial champion advocating for a more therapeutic approach to reducing recidivism, helping offender populations, and improving outcomes for those with underlying addictive, mental or behavioral problems. Recently, new techniques and methods to improve overall management and efficiency of these courts have developed, especially where several exist in a jurisdiction.  Successful initiatives include the consolidation of management structures; the coordinated collection and tracking of data, the development of new global, uniform triage processes to identify, refer and assign defendants to the most appropriate court; and formal protocols/rules for the assignment, responsibility, and tenure of problem-solving judges.  This session reviews these new structural, management, and procedural approaches, and how court leaders can make the best use of them.
  • Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils: From Silo to System Coordination (Chaparral Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX
    – Elaine Borakove, President, Justice Management Institute
    – Hon. Maxine A. White, Chief Judge, First Judicial Circuit Court of Wisconsin in Milwaukee County
    Criminal justice coordinating councils (CJCCs) emerged in the early 1970s as ways to create systemic responses to specific problems facing local justice jurisdictions such as jail overcrowding and domestic violence.  The council approach waned over time, but recently has emerged with renewed vigor as an effective means to improve public safety, overlapping justice system programs, analyzing multi-agency complexities, and allocating systemwide resources more wisely.  The Justice Management Institute, a nonprofit consultancy formed in 1993, has worked extensively in coordinating justice system planning and analysis and will share insights on how trial court leaders can both spearhead and help sustain such collaborative efforts to improve their local criminal justice administration.

10:45 to 11:00am BREAK

11:00am to Noon CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

  • Police Body-Worn Cameras: Practical, Policy and Legal Implications (Rio Verde Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX1, PPTX2, PPTX3
    – Professor Michael D. White, Ph.D., School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
    – Michael Mitchell, Special Assistant to the County Attorney, Maricopa County, Arizona
    – Sylvia Moir, Chief of Police, Tempe, Arizona
    This topic was initially presented in a 2016 NAPCO workshop.  Widespread requests for additional information prompted conference planners to invite an update from experts regarding litigation issues, case law, state statutes, law enforcement use and trends, and advice regarding judicial processes affected by this new, fast-growing technology.
  • Trial Court Governance: Productive Ways to Utilize Executive Committees (Chaparral Room)
    – Patti Tobias, Principal Court Management Consultant (Moderator)
    – Hon. Janet Barton, Presiding Judge, Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County
    – Hon. Kirk Nakamura, Assistant Presiding Judge, Superior Court of California in Orange County
    – Hon. Jeff Thompson, Chief Judge, Third Judicial District of Minnesota
    – Ron Overholt, Court Administrator, Superior Court of Arizona in Pima County
    Increasingly, both rural and urban court leaders have developed judicial executive committees to provide input and advice on issues, programs and projects related to governing their trial court systems. In many states, rural counties are commonly clustered together in geographic districts, overseen by a single district presiding judge and court executive, and managed as a composite region. Urban trial court leaders, too, because of court size, volume and complexity, have turned to judicial executive committees for counsel, guidance, and information to stay in closer touch with judicial officers and court performance issues.  How these important strategic, advisory, decision-making groups are organized, utilized and consulted is often critical to effectively managing the court as a loosely-coupled organization. This workshop explores various ways executive committees operate in Minnesota, California, and Arizona as examples of structures that have been proven to work well.
  • Civil Justice Reform: Implementing Best Practices based on National Research (San Carlos Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX
    – Brittany Kauffman, Esq., Director, Rule One Initiative, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System
    – Donald W, “Don” Bivens, Esq., Partner, Snell & Wilmer, Phoenix, AZ
    – Hon. Randy Warner, Presiding Judge, Civil Department, Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County
    Thirteen recommendations to improve civil justice litigation in state courts were recently developed by a special National Task Force on Civil Justice established by the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators.  Numerous court and legal reform groups, including the ABA, have endorsed the recommendations. The Task Force, staffed by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System and National Center for State Courts, has developed an implementation roadmap for court leaders, concrete tools to assist with new approaches, and demonstration projects to help courts restructure and improve their civil case processing systems. This panel of experts will share practical ideas and methods that court leaders and bar officials can employ to revitalize civil litigation access, processes and procedures.
  • Best Practices in Dealing with Defendant Mental Health Issues (Sonora Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX
    – Hon. Kyle Bryson, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of Arizona in Pima County
    – Hon. Roxanne Bailin (ret.), Special Consultant, National Center for State Courts
    Pima county is one of 20 counties selected by the MacArthur Foundation to receive funding ($1.5 million) to address jail overcrowding issues as part of a special nationwide Safety and Justice Challenge Project. Of concern in the MacArthur Project is the large portion of inmates in America’s jails suffering from mental health problems.  A recent National Institute of Health study revealed 6 out of 10 inmates in jail “satisfy the criteria for mental health problems.” Nearly a quarter of those inmates had 3 or more prior incarcerations. Similar studies and surveys show comparable or worse numbers.  Given such a situation, what can or should state trial court leaders do in response?  This session explores practical solutions, ideas and processes PJs and CEOs can promote and encourage based on successful initiatives, practices, and research in other jurisdictions.

Noon to 1:15pm COURT VENDOR EXHIBIT & HOSTED BOX LUNCH (Grand Ballroom Foyer)
Over 20 companies that market products and services to trial courts ranging from sophisticated electronic case management systems to courthouse signage will be present. A hosted box lunch will be served in the Vendor Exhibit Area to permit conferees to review the products and talk with company representatives.

1:30 to 3:00pm PLENARY PRESENTATION
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Courts:  What Does the Future Hold? (Grand Ballroom)
– Joseph Siegel, Senior Director, Public Safety & Justice, Gartner, Inc.
– Bhavish Madurai, Partner: IBM Global Business Services, US Public Sector
– Hon. David O. Cunanan, Judge, Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County
– Raymond L. Billotte, Court Administrator, Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County
Today, Artificial Intelligence is used in a variety of industries, including agriculture, education, energy, health care and public safety, to name but a few. As AI continues to evolve and expand throughout our society, its impact on the Courts is already being felt in a number of areas such as on-line dispute resolution (ODR) systems using predictive analysis and the emerging voice recognition applications. But what else may lie ahead? In this session, panelists will discuss how Artificial Intelligence systems work, where the industry is headed, and the practical applications for Courts in the not-so-distant future.

3:00 to 3:15pm BREAK

3:30 to 4:30pm CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

  • The Opioid Epidemic and the Courts: What Court Leaders Need to Know and Do (San Carlos Room)
    – Michelle White, Principal Court Consultant, National Center for State Courts (moderator)
    – Tara Kunkel, Principal Court Consultant, National Center for State Courts
    – Judge O. Duane Slone, Circuit Court Judge, Tennessee Circuit Court
    – Stephanie Hess, Deputy Administrative Director, Supreme Court of Ohio
    The misuse of opioids such as heroin, morphine, and other prescription pain medicines is a serious national problem.  It is touching every aspect of our public safety and judicial systems causing law enforcement budgets to grow, court dockets to be overloaded, and probation caseloads to burgeon. The judiciary can play a critical role in addressing these issues. In August 2016, representatives from Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia courts convened the first-ever Regional Judicial Opioid (RJOI) Summit. The summit brought together multidisciplinary delegates from each state to develop a regional action plan and consider regional strategies. RJOI member states continue to work both within their home states and regionally to share promising practices, as well as to implement the objectives of the regional action plan. This workshop will give you an inside track on techniques and initiatives on how to craft a workable response to the opioid epidemic mounting in your backyard.
  • Compliance Assistance: New Ways to Help Low Income Defendants Pay Traffic Fines (Sonora Room)
    – Hon. Donald Taylor, Chief Presiding Judge, Phoenix Municipal Court
    – Hon. Roxanne Song Ong, NAPCO Board Member
    A new program offered by the Phoenix Municipal Court is designed to aid the “working poor” in resolving past due traffic fines owed to the Court that may be preventing the reinstatement of the defendant’s driver’s license. Since many offenders may drive with a suspended license, it also avoids further violations and fines if caught driving with a suspended license. The program allows defendants to enter payment plans for all civil traffic, civil, and parking charges without having to see a judge or schedule a court appearance. By making a required down payment and agreeing to make affordable monthly payments, the Court notifies the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) the offender is compliant with civil traffic fines and fees due to the Court. The defendant then is encouraged to contact the MVD to accomplish whatever is required to reinstate his/her driving privileges. This new, simple process has reduced warrants and helped many avoid further legal problems. Tens of thousands of people have taken advantage of this new program since its inception.
  • Building Better Self-Help Centers in Urban and Rural Trial Courts (Rio Verde Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX1, PPTX2, PPTX3
    – Shawn Friend, Esq., Deputy Court Administrator, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
    – Gary Krcmarik, Court Administrator, Superior Court of Arizona in Coconino County (Flagstaff)
    – John M. Greacen, Esq., Principal, Greacen Associates, LLC
    Services for self-represented litigants in the nation’s trial courts have experienced remarkable advances over the last two decades since the first Self-Help Center developed in the mid-1990s at the Superior Court in Maricopa County.  Today, Maricopa’s Self-Help Center has expanded and embellished its offerings through advanced interactive software and heightened customer information.  Concurrently, resources have spread to rural areas nationwide through virtual, internet self-help approaches complete with electronic forms, easy-read instructions, unbundled legal services from mediators or attorneys, and online filing/fees payment. This workshop reviews the state-of-the-art concerning court-annexed services to the self-represented by the state that pioneered that approach.
  • Electronic Judicial Dashboards: New, High-Tech Ways to Manage Trial Court Dockets (Chaparral Room)
    – Bob Wessels, NAPCO Board Member (facilitator)
    – Andrea Olson, Customer Service Manager, Technology Department, Wisconsin Judicial Branch
    – Hon. Richard J. Sankovitz, First Judicial Circuit Court of Wisconsin in Milwaukee County
    – Ed Wells, Court Administrator, Harris County TX Criminal Courts of Law
    A new feature in many state and local court tracking software – the judicial dashboard – allows judges to find all the information they need on their cases and their calendars with a minimum of effort.  In many instances, judges can access their calendars, highlight cases that are over caseflow time standards, pinpoint documents awaiting electronic signatures, and track the disposition of their cases against established performance measures or the accomplishments of colleagues. Such applications are in use in proprietary CMS software systems as well as home-grown systems.  Providing the capability is one thing, but advancing its use throughout the judiciary is quite another challenge.  In this session, experts with the Wisconsin and Texas court systems will walk attendees through the virtues of judicial dashboards in use in both those states, and suggest ways court leaders can aid in bringing such tools to their jurisdictions.

OPTIONAL EVENING EVENTS

  • 4:45pm Transportation provided to the Evening Event (Resort Lobby)
    Business casual attire is recommended. Conferee guests are welcome.
  • 5:15 to 8:30pm Special Tour, Reception and Dinner • Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) (North Scottsdale)
    The Musical Instrument Museum, also known as the MIM, celebrates art, music and culture by documenting the history of musical instruments from around the world. This bright, open museum also hosts a full calendar of live music events. The museum collection includes instruments from 200 countries, with emphasis on ethnic, folk, and tribal music. Wireless headsets allow guests to hear instruments play at each display, and flat-panel monitors permit the opportunity to see instruments being performed live. Whether you love Chinese opera or Big Band jazz, the MIM celebrates the joy of musical expression in all its forms.
  • 5:15 to 6:00pm Tour (MIM Galleries)
  • 5:30 to 6:30pm Reception (El Rio South Room)
  • 6:30 to 8:00pm Dinner (Main Courtyard)
    Music Provided by “feeney/winthrop”
  • 8:00 to 8:30pm Return transportation provided to the DoubleTree Resort (MIM Main Entrance)
  • 8:30 to 11:00pm Networking Suite (Grand Presidential Parlor)

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 – COURT LEADERSHIP SESSIONS & NAPCO ANNUAL MEETING

7:30 to 8:30am Hosted Breakfast (Grand Ballroom)

8:30 to 9:45am PLENARY PRESENTATION
Judges Leading Judges OR “The War of the Parts against the Whole” (Grand Ballroom)

Dealing Effectively as a Judge-Leader with Troublesome Issues from Colleagues
In loosely-coupled court organizations, some trial judges may believe the definition of judicial independence should include not only freedom from control by other government branches and freedom from interference in case-related decisions, but freedom from supervision and oversight by presiding judges and court executives responsible for day-to-day court operations, too.  How do presiding judges, regarded by many as “first among equals” and having limited tenure as leaders, deal with vexatious issues created by their colleagues?  Anonymous scenarios will be gathered from registrants during the first few days of the Conference, reviewed, and then posed to a panel of seasoned presiding judges for their advice and counsel.  As a result, judicial leaders and court executives attending this session may neither feel so alone and distressed should they face similar dilemmas, nor be at a loss for ideas and helpful suggestions to remedy such difficulties should they arise. Time permitting, audience participation will be invited.

  • Moderators
    – Hon. John Russo, Administrative/Presiding Judge, Common Pleas Court of Ohio in Cuyahoga County
    – Hon. Ivy Bernhardson, Chief Judge, District Court of Minnesota in Hennepin County
  • Panelists
    – Hon. Douglas Beach, Presiding Judge, Circuit Court of Missouri in St. Louis County
    – Hon. Thomas Breslin, Administrative Judge, Unified Courts of the State of New York
    – Hon. Paula Carey, Chief Justice, Trial Courts of Massachusetts
    – Hon. Daniel Buckley, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County
    – Hon. Nan Nash, Chief Judge, District Court of New Mexico in Bernalillo County9:45 to 10:00am BREAK

10:00 to 11:00am CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

  • Courthouse Justice Museum and Learning Center: A Novel Public Education Approach (Sonora Room)
    Session Materials: PDF1, PDF2, WEBSITE, VIDEO
    – Hon. Glenn Davis (ret.), President, Maricopa County Justice Museum and Learning Center
    – Jennifer Cranston, Vice President, Gallagher & Kennedy, PA
    – Robin Hoskins, Secretary, Faculty Associate, School of Social Work, Arizona State University
    – Hon. Jennifer Green, Board Member, Judge, Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County
    – Allister R. Adel, Executive Director, Maricopa County Bar Association
    In 2012, a unique partnership between a state trial court, a county government, and a local bar association opened a Justice Museum and Learning Center in a restored cellblock on the sixth floor of Maricopa County’s Historic Courthouse, an active court building constructed in 1929, in downtown Phoenix.  The Museum houses interactive exhibits on the law, courts, and famous cases and events in Arizona legal history.  It is open to the public, including jurors on their lunch breaks, escorted school groups, and the public during courthouse business hours.  Students from nearby law schools serve as part-time docents and tour guides.  With well over 6,000 courthouses in America, this session provides a model for court leaders who may wish to experiment with their own vision of a Justice Museum and Learning Center as part of a local community public education and outreach program.
  • Digital Media’s Impact on the Courts: A Changing Landscape Chaparral Room
    – Beth Riggert, Esq., Communications Counsel, Supreme Court of Missouri
    – Hon. Rosa Mroz, Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County
    – David Bodney, Esq., Partner, Ballard Spahr, L.L.P., Media and Entertainment Law Group
    Social media, or any media that uses the internet to disseminate information through social interaction, is becoming increasingly prevalent within court systems. It presents many new opportunities for courts to connect with the public and collaborate with stakeholders in innovative and productive ways.  On the other hand, digital media can have serious implications for jurors, judges, and court employees in its use, create problems concerning court safety and security, and complicate policies governing court social media sites.  Experts at this workshop will explore these contrasting viewpoints, suggest best practices for court leaders to follow in their trial courts, and identify digital resources courts and judges can access when high profile cases are likely to create a media frenzy. 
  • Jury Trials Fade and High-Tech Complicates Them: How Should Court Leaders React? (San Carlos Room)
    – Paula Hannaford-Agor, Esq., Director, Center for Jury Studies, NCSC
    – Hon. Patricia Costello (ret.), Special NCSC Consultant; Of Counsel, Chiesa, Shahinian & Giantomasi, PC (New Jersey)
    Virtually all the developments affecting jury trials over recent years have been the result of three factors: more options to resolve disputes without formal litigation, internet-based technologies, and economic cut-backs by government in supporting jury operations. Some may conclude the demise of the jury trial isn’t a major dilemma since most state trial courts try less than 2 percent of all criminal or civil cases filed. Others, though, see the jury system as the bedrock of the American democratic system of justice that needs to be bolstered.  Should court leaders be complacent, be worried, or be active about strengthening our jury system? And, what ought to be the role of the practicing bar in addressing today’s jury issues?  
  • Courthouse Security: Workable Strategies and Emerging Trends (Rio Verde Room)
    Session Materials: PPTX
    – Hon. Kyle Bryson, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of Arizona in Pima County (Tucson)
    – Ronald G. Overholt, Court Administrator, Superior Court of Arizona in Pima County (Tucson)
    – Nathan Hall, Court Security Consultant, National Center for State Courts
    Increasingly, court security is a significant issue faced by every judicial branch in the United States. National and local data reflect not only an increase in security threats and violent incidents but also reveal that there continues to be limited funding available from state and local governments for security staffing, plans and equipment. Against this backdrop, new issues have surfaced affecting court security, too, ranging from ICE arrests of immigrants in courthouses, to service and comfort animals in courtrooms, to the early use of facial recognition software at screening stations for persons known to pose security risks.  Arizona’s recent (November 2016) Report and Recommendations of its Court Security Standards Committee provides some answers and everyday techniques for trial court leaders nationwide. 

11:15am to 12:15pm PLENARY PRESENTATION (Grand Ballroom)
Leading without Carrying a Big Stick: Strategies and Skills to Lead Peers and Others in a Loosely-Coupled Environment
– Jill S. Goldsmith, JD, LAC, NCC – Executive and Leadership Coach
Leading peers and influencing organizations that impact the courts, particularly when new initiatives may disrupt the status quo or create uncertainty in the minds of many, requires a different set of leadership skills and methods than leading in a typical hierarchical organization. In this closing session, Jill Goldsmith, who combines decades of experience as a national trial lawyer with evidence-based executive and leadership coaching experience, will share effective strategies and approaches that judge-leaders and court administrators can use to more effectively influence, motivate, and persuade others – both within the court and their local justice communities – when they may have little or no formal authority to compel change or action.  She will provide practical, “grab and go” strategies to: 1) build effective networks and alliances to get things done; 2) communicate ideas and strategies to solicit buy-in; and 3) strengthen emotional intelligence (EI) to guide thinking and behavior to achieve successful outcomes.

12:15 to 12:30pm CONFERENCE ADJOURNMENT AND CLOSING REMARKS (Grand Ballroom)
– Hon. Janet E. Barton, NAPCO President
– Raymond Billotte, NAPCO Vice President

12:30 to 1:30pm NAPCO ANNUAL MEETING (Chaparral Room)