Supreme Court Adopts Amendments to Louisiana District Court RulesThe Louisiana Supreme Court approved and adopted the latest District Court Rules amendments on May 14, following a 10-day public comment period. (No comments were received.) The amendments may be reviewed at:
http://www.lasc.org.
Application Deadline is June 26 for Leadership LSBA 2020-21 ClassLSBA President-Elect Alainna R. Mire is currently seeking applications from young lawyers for the Leadership LSBA 2020-21 Class.
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Nominations Accepted Through June 30 for Citizen Lawyer AwardNominations will be accepted through June 30 for the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Citizen Lawyer Award, a service award that recognizes individual attorneys and judges who have performed public services out of a sense of duty, responsibility and professionalism.
In 2001, the LSBA instituted the Crystal Gavel Awards. This award program was updated in 2014 and renamed the Citizen Lawyer Awards.
To be nominated, the lawyer must be admitted to practice in Louisiana, and the judge must have been elected or appointed to a state or federal court in Louisiana. Nominees must have made a difference in their local communities, in local organizations, or in the life of one person, and have served the public in a number of areas, including:
• Aiding the administration of justice.
• Assisting groups or individuals on a volunteer basis in a non-legal capacity.
• Educating the public or individuals or students about legal matters.
• Providing pro bono legal services in a matter of a significant nature, or in a significant number of cases, or in a way that significantly changed the life of a person or group.
• Working in conjunction with the court system to make it more welcoming, inviting and understandable for jurors, witnesses or victims of crime.
Awards are presented in local communities throughout the state. There is no limit to the number of awards which will be presented, as the LSBA wishes to recognize all deserving individuals.
For more information about the award or to submit a nomination, go to:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CitizenLawyerAward. Or email the LSBA’s Member Outreach and Diversity Department at
outreach@lsba.org.
2020 Regular Legislative Session: Board of Governors Adopts Positions on BillsThe LSBA’s Board of Governors on April 27 adopted positions on several bills pending before the Louisiana Legislature, based on recommendations from the LSBA’s Legislation Committee.
Click here to
review the bills and positions online 24/7. Or, go to the
LSBA’s Legislative Advocacy web page, click on “Current and Past Bill Positions,” then “2020 Regular Session.”
Law Library of Louisiana Offers Virtual Reference DeskThe Law Library of Louisiana (located at 400 Royal St. in New Orleans) may be physically closed to the public, but it is open virtually. Librarians have maintained, and continue to maintain, virtual reference desk services.
Attorneys who need legal research and reference assistance can contact the virtual reference desk by emailing
library@lasc.org or calling 504-310-2400. Librarians are on call to respond to any inquiries in a timely manner. The library is committed providing high-quality service.
Librarians have access to a complete array of legal information resources, including Westlaw Edge, Lexis Advance, the LexisNexis Digital Library, Hein Online, and Newsbank, to respond to information needs. Document delivery fees have been waived while the library is physically closed.
Louisiana Supreme Court Launches New WebsiteThe Louisiana Supreme Court announced the launch of a new and improved website with expanded digital technology for a more user-friendly experience across a range of devices such as laptops, desktops as well as mobile devices. The website is used by the Court to share information of interest to Louisiana citizens.
To view the new website, go to:
www.lasc.org.
Click here to view the Court's
press release regarding the new website’s features.
2020 LSBA Annual Meeting & Joint Summer School CancelledDue to the ongoing public health and safety issues related to COVID-19, the Board of Governors, in conjunction with the Louisiana Judicial College, has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 LSBA Annual Meeting and Joint LJC/LSBA Summer School.
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Board Certified Specialists May Earn Up To 12.5 Hours of Approved Specialization “Self-Study” Credits in 2020On April 29, 2020, the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization unanimously approved the following:
In compliance with the April 28, 2020
Supreme Court of Louisiana Order, and in accordance with
LBLS Rules 7.4 and 7.9, the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization deems its rules for specialty education amended for “self-study” credits and the limitation on “self-study” credits is increased from 4 hours to 12.5 hours for 2020 only. All specialists may earn up to 12.5 hours of approved specialization “self-study” credits on or before December 31, 2020.
Appellant Files Reply Brief in Challenge CaseA member of the Louisiana State Bar Association filed suit against the LSBA, the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Justices of the Court on August 1, 2019, challenging mandatory bar membership on First and Fourteenth amendment grounds.