National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers

Leading in today’s organizations requires keener social aptitude abilities

Soft skills matter in leading. Writing in the Harvard Business Review last year, Raﬀaella Sadun of Harvard Business School and her co-authors analyzed almost 5,000 job descriptions that Russell Reynolds, a headhunter, had developed for a variety of c-suite roles between 2000 and 2017. Their work showed that companies have shifted away from emphasizing ﬁnancial and operational skills towards social skills—an ability to listen, reﬂect, communicate and empathize. Other research has reached similar conclusions about jobs lower down the pay scale: being able to work well with people is seen not as some ﬂuﬀy bonus but as a vital attribute.

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Email and Meeting Overload: A Problem for American Workers

New data from Microsoft shows why it can be so hard to get things done at work. Workers now spend two full days a week on email and in meetings. Court leaders may spend more.

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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.

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WEBINAR: Mental Health Cases – Crisis and Opportunity for State and Local Courts

On April 20, 2023, NAPCO held a webinar titled “Mental Health Cases: Crisis and Opportunity for State and Local Courts”. The panel was led by Hon. Paula M. Carey.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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