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Colorado will license paraprofessionals to perform limited legal work

The Colorado Supreme Court has approved a new rule that allows licensed nonlawyer paraprofessionals to perform limited legal work in some divorce and child-custody matters. Paraprofessionals will be allowed to complete and file standard pleadings, represent their clients in mediation, accompany their clients to court and answer a court’s factual questions, according to a March 27 press release.

Special Judicial Safety Webinar Explores Threats to Judges

Federal Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed in a targeted attack at her New Jersey home, will be the keynote speaker at a free, online forum about judicial safety scheduled at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. It is sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University and the New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association.

WEBINAR: To be Asian in America’s State and Local Trial Courts

It is a myth that 22-million people comprising the American Asian communities have “gained” social and economic equality. As a racial/ethnic group they are extremely diverse, representing more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, Hawai’i, the Pacific Islands, and the Indian subcontinent, each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other characteristics. Their education, economic situation, and occupation levels are wide-ranging.

Editorial: Why virtual court is a threat to our justice system

The elimination, in various venues, of the in-person courtroom experience is stunting the professional growth of new lawyers and new judges alike. We call for the establishment of hybrid hearings, which provide lawyers the option of virtual/in-person courtroom appearances for all hearings and non-jury trials. Jury trials should be exclusively in person for the lawyers.

ABA Task Force Issues 14 Guiding Principles to Improve Plea Bargaining System

In a new report published Wednesday, the ABA Criminal Justice Section’s Plea Bargain Task
Force provides 14 principles that outline how plea bargaining should operate within the larger criminal justice system. These principles are based on testimony from criminal justice experts and people impacted by plea bargaining, as well as scholarly and legal reports on the process, state and federal rules of criminal procedure, and other materials.