ABA Midyear Meeting 2017: Civil Justice for All

A committee was established by the Conference of Chief Justices with the goal of finding ways to improve the cost and efficiency of the civil justice system. In this report from On the Road, host Laurence Colletti interviews members of that committee including Judge Bailey, Dean Lieberman, Chief Justice Balmer, and Chief Justice Jefferson. Together, they discuss their report which details 13 ways state court systems can improve civil cases. These recommendations range from curbing excessive discovery to simply using time effectively.

Judge Jennifer D. Bailey has been a circuit court judge in Miami-Dade, Florida, for twenty-four years. She is the Administrative Judge for the 25-judge Circuit Civil Division, and handles a docket of complex business litigation cases.

Hannah Lieberman joined the David A. Clarke School of Law as associate dean of Experiential and Clinical Programs in September, 2016, bringing to the position broad experience as a leader and litigator in the public interest sector. In her new position, Ms. Lieberman will lead the clinical faculty team to further develop the Law School’s exemplary clinical and experiential programs.

Thomas A. Balmer was elected by his colleagues as Oregon’s 43rd Chief Justice and began service on May 1, 2012.  He was first appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor John Kitzhaber in 2001; he was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2008 and 2014.

Wallace Bernard Jefferson is the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, who served from 2004 until October 1, 2013. In October 2013, he joined the law firm of Alexander Dubose Jefferson Townsend LLP, as a name partner.