Given the caseloads confronting many trial court judges, the adage “work smarter, not harder” ought to be a staple in the way judges go about case management. There is no doubt that there are many judges who are thoughtful in approaching case management and are inquisitive about how to do things more efficiently or eliminate doing some things altogether.

A number of years ago I met Rebecca Kourlis.  At that time she had just recently resigned from the Colorado Supreme Court and was establishing IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.  Prior to serving on the Supreme Court, Becky was a trial judge.

Becky is a very dynamic woman who has assembled a very dynamic think tank.  I have been fortunate to serve on the IAALS Advisory Board (IAALS has excelled in spite of that).  If you are unaware of the Institute, it is worth looking at their web site.  Their latest publication, “Working Smarter, Not Harder: How Excellent Judges Manage Cases,” is clearly worth looking at.

Here is a link to the Advisory and the report:  http://online.iaals.du.edu/2014/01/21/new-report-recommends-courtroom-efficiency-strategies-for-judges-from-judges/

The link to the IAALS web site is:  IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, http://iaals.du.edu/