Registration Still Open for 2015 Conclave on Diversity in the Legal ProfessionRegistration is open for the eighth annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession, set for Friday, March 6, at the New Orleans Marriott, 555 Canal St., New Orleans. The registration fee is $90. The conclave, with the theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Civil Rights: Moving the Pendulum Forward,” will include the “Freedom Riders” traveling exhibition (developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in partnership with American Experience, funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities) and several sessions earning CLE credit.
To register online, to download a registration form, or for more information and sponsorship options, go to:
http://www.lsba.org/diversity/diversityconclaveevent.aspx.
"Hackcess to Justice Louisiana" Hackathon Scheduled for March 21-22 The Leadership LSBA Class has partnered with the ABA Journal to present the state’s first legal aid hackathon, “Hackcess to Justice Louisiana.” The two-day event will be held March 21-22 at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. The hackathon presents an opportunity for participants to use their legal, entrepreneurial, coding and other skills to help create a technology-enabled solution for the numerous challenges faced by citizens who cannot afford a lawyer and the lawyers trying to serve them.
Hackcess to Justice Louisiana will bring together legal professionals and the tech community to address specific problems faced by legal aid providers. Programmers and developers will be asked to create technological solutions to increase and streamline access to justice. These solutions could be in the form of code, software, mobile applications, websites, blogs, etc.
Representatives from legal aid organizations throughout Louisiana will be on site to discuss the unique issues that they and their clients face and the types of solutions they seek. Anyone who has an idea on how to help legal aid lawyers and their clients can attend the hackathon and pitch their ideas to interested programmers. The judges will award three prizes to the winning team: $1500 to the first place submission; $1000 to the second place submission; $500 to the third place submission.
Knowing the basics of coding is an incredibly valuable skill for any business professional, so the hackathon will also include a bonus session for those not competing. R. Judson Mitchell, chair of the LSBA ATJ Tech Committee, will present a free “How to Code” session on March 22 for anyone interested in learning more about how to program websites, games and apps.
The public is also invited to watch the pitch competition and judging, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on March 22.
More information on Hackcess to Justice Louisiana, including a full description of the rules and a space to register online, can be found at:
http://hackcesstojusticenola.challengepost.com/.
Registration Still Open for LSBA Solo and Small Firm ConferenceThe registration fee is $300 (through March 15) for the eighth annual Solo and Small Firm Conference, set for Thursday and Friday, March 19-20, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel (2 Poydras St., New Orleans). Conference organizers have applied for up to 15 hours of CLE (the entire CLE requirement for the year, with 2.5 hours of carryover credit for the following year). The LSBA has not organized a hotel room block for this conference; contact the Hilton directly at (504)561-0500.
To register online, to download a registration form or for more information, go to:
http://www.lsba.org/goto/2015solo.
Registration Deadline Extended for Committee on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Annual SeminarThe LSBA’s Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has scheduled its 2015 annual seminar for Friday, March 13, at the Renaissance Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. The registration deadline has been extended to March 9. The hotel room block deadline has been extended to Feb. 27. The seminar has been approved for 4.75 hours of CLE credit, including ethics and professionalism. To register or for more information,
click here.
Volunteers Sought for March 7 LSBA Law School Mock Trial CompetitionJudges are being sought for the LSBA’s Law School Mock Trial Competition set for Saturday, March 7, at the 24th Judicial District Courthouse in Gretna. Those interested should RSVP by March 5. The competition begins promptly at 9 a.m., with requested arrival at 8:30 a.m. for room and judge assignments, and will run no later than 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Judges will be given a score card and suggested scoring instructions on the morning of the event.
To participate, contact Jason M. Baer, (504)313-3800,
jbaer@panditlaw.com; or Jimmy Courtenay, (504)812-4931,
jcourtenay@dkslaw.com.
U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Seeking Comments on Rule 34.7The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is seeking comments for a proposed change to Rule 34.7. Written comments will be accepted through March 16. To review the proposed change and for response procedures,
click here.
Nomination Deadline is April 6 for Catherine D. Kimball AwardThe nomination deadline is Monday, April 6 for the LSBA Catherine D. Kimball Award for Advancement of the Administration of Justice. This annual award was established to honor Catherine D. Kimball, the first woman to serve as chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
The Catherine D. Kimball Award is open to both attorneys and judges who have conducted exceptional outreach activities that support the goals and purposes of the judicial branch. These activities may include (but are not limited to):
- Improving services to those who use the Louisiana court system including jurors, witnesses, litigants, attorneys, and defendants
- Improving court facilities
- Enhancing services to pro-se litigants
- Producing materials for public education
- Facilitating access to the courts
- Improving accountability
- Hosting conferences, meetings, or other outreach efforts that facilitate the exchange of ideas and encourage collegiality within the judicial branch
The award will be presented at the LSBA Annual Meeting in June. In addition to the recipient receiving an individual award, a larger plaque is displayed at the Louisiana Supreme Court to list new recipients of the award.
Click here to download the
LSBA Catherine D. Kimball Award Nomination Form.
La. Board of Legal Specialization Accepting Requests for Applications in 5 AreasThe Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization (LBLS) is accepting requests for applications for Jan. 1, 2016, certification in five areas — bankruptcy law (business and consumer), estate planning and administration, family law and tax law. The deadline to submit applications for consideration for estate planning and administration, family law and tax law certification is March 31, 2015. Applications for business bankruptcy law and consumer bankruptcy law certification will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2015.
Anyone interested in applying for certification should contact LBLS Executive Director Barbara M. Shafranski, email
barbara.shafranski@lsba.org or call (504)619-0128. For more information, go to the LBLS website at:
http://www.lascmcle.org/specialization.