The Fair courts E Alert reports:

Two rule changes made by the Iowa Supreme Court last month directed significant resources to state legal aid organizations, according to The Gazette. The first new rule allows retired Iowa attorneys and attorneys licensed in other states “to provide pro bono services to legal aid organizations. The state’s legal aid offices turns thousands of low income people away every year because of the high caseload and lack of attorneys. The rule allows retired attorneys to apply for an emeritus license and volunteer their time for a legal aid office.” With this ruling, a total of 36 states across the country now offer an emeritus license. The state Supreme Court also amended the state’s student practice rule last month, which allows law students to take on cases under supervision. “Scott Hartsook, managing attorney for Iowa Legal Aid’s Older Iowans Legal Hotline, said it’s great for the students who get practical experience. One advantage of the new rule is that now law students who finish an internship can continue to appear in court with clients after the internship ends. The old rule stated they had to be involved in an educational program to practice before a court or administrative agencies.” Guy Cook, president of the Iowa State Bar Association, praised the changes to the student practice rule, saying, “It’s very forward thinking of the court to approve this rule. This will really help out in the rural areas that have a tremendous need.”