South Africa gets a long awaited judicial code of conduct, which prescribes judicial behavior as well as enhanced powers to judicial review and disciplinary committees. Decidedly necessary, the law has been in the making and long awaited, according the The Star, an independent press in South Africa.

Law firms, and consequently the legal sub-service industry that support them, are feeling the crunch of economic hard times. Today's National Law Journal reports slowdowns, cutbacks and layoffs from the NLJ 250.

This blog post is interesting, in how it relates to the dismissal of the pending DUI case in question, to transparency in the world of technology, and to practice management. Jaffe's blog is worth a read!

Hard times require creative solutions and creative leaders. Loan workout specialist offer unique services in debt and credit crises.

Last week, the Harvard's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at recognized Missouri’s Division of Youth Services as the winner of its 2008 Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in Children and Family System Reform. Focusing on individual and group treatment approaches, Missouri's program provides dormitory settings and therapeutic environments. Missouri's statistics are promising. 90% of youths enrolled in the DYS program avoid reincarceration for three years following their graduation. The Ash Institute's news release states:

At the ABA Annual Meeting, William Neukom, in his final speech as President, said the World Justice Project will continue as an independent entity supported by its own funding sources.

The World Justice Project initiative, upon which Mr. Neukom's presidency centered, drew nearly 500 attendees to the its early July, 2008 World Justice Forum, where numerous ideas for programs headed by the committed professionals in attendance in Vienna.

Follow the link for the full article.

We stumbled onto this report from Killfile's blog (at http://thekillfile.blogspot.com/2008/07/effectiveness-of-circle-sentenci...). While essentially lacking in positivity of findings, Killfile describes circle sentencing as:

Circle sentencing is the NSW approach to what is generally called 'indigenous courts' which operates in most (except Tasmania) Australian jurisdictions. The idea is to bring a level of cultural awareness and significance to the traditional criminal justice system, and generally involves using Aboriginal elders as advisors in the sentencing of Indigenous offenders. These courts are often held in community areas without all of the formal trappings of the traditional courts, and are open to community members. It's important to note that it isn't a 'soft option' or, strictly speaking, a diversion, but rather an example of traditional western justice assuming a more culturally appropriate face. The sentencing decision is still made by a judge or a magistrate, however ideally they will also have access to more culturally appropriate sentences.

Get the report by following the link below.

The August 13, 2008, Huffington Post Article cites a Work and Family Law Center survey of NYU students have considerable worry about their ability to balance there home and work lives. Focus on balancing home and family is not simply an issue for women attorneys, either. The study finds a that personal fulfillment is being prioritized over professional success across the board and that it is exerting pressure on the legal profession to recognize this trend. See the full article in the Huffington Post by following the link below.

California State Bar President, Jeff Bleich, discusses lack of access to adequate legal representation for much of America's working class. Citing economic circumstance as the chief cause of unrepresented litigants, Mr. Bleich concludes the legal profession is not meeting the needs of a substantial portion of the public. Be sure to pick up the full article at the California State Bar Website link below:

NPR this week featured the Dallas DIVERT Court and Judge John Creuzot's Court. The article, linked below, describes the general atmosphere, success rates and costs savings for such problem sovling courts. Listen to the audio stream of the radio program available at that link as well.

Read the reports:

DIVERT Court Cost Benefit Analysis
DIVERT Court Evaluation: Recidivism Findings

Ashburton, New Zealand's Restorative Garden is a project to be followed. Non-violent juvenile offenders are sentenced to build a community garden, the produce from which is then given to the community food bank or sold at the Farmer's Market to support continuation of the project. The article from The Ashburton Guardian (link below) is the first we've found, but we will keep an eye on this restorative justice project as it develops.

Despite positive reports recently reported by the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University (see LTNs report at http://www.legaltrends.net/social-justice/2008-7/uk-ministry-of-justice-...) The Independent UK reports widespread public skepticism and relatively small usage by courts. The youth knife-crime outbreak in the UK, where gun possession is highly regulated, is the subject of broadest debate, with government opting instead for the "Scared Straight" approach. Certainly not appropriate in all cases, Will Riley, chair of 'Why me? Victims for Restorative Justice', said: "I was able to convey my deepest thoughts and the trauma that was affecting me from not being able to protect my family and home. It was only the day I got home after the meeting with Peter (Riley's offender) that the feeling had gone away. I was able to restore my sense of freedom and not being a victim."

See the RJ Video by Peter Woolf and Will Riley on this site at http://www.legaltrends.net/video/restorative-justice-victim-offender-med....

Read more at The Independent UK at the link below.

IrishTimes.Com reports recently that Legal Aid Board's consumer base increased by 3% in 2007. The increase, directly related to a recessive economy, caused a 5% increase in workload to the 30 law centers nationwide that comprise the Board. The Legal Aid Board's report cites a marked rise in family law cases. Suggestions for the use of mediation and collaborative modalities have been key alternatives employed by the Board to handle the rising case load.

The Irish Legal Aid Board employs the objective of providing an applicant access to a lawyer within a 4 month period of time. This objective has largely been met. More than half of the Board's centres providing service with an average wait time of 2 months or less.

See the story in the Irish Times by following the link below

An impassioned article on truth and reconciliation in Nigeria's River State area, where violence, attributable to social corrosion, is rampant, writer Emmanuel Onwubiko discusses the Justice Kayode Eso-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission in light of philosophies governing our times. Read more at the Leadership Nigeria site below.

On July 14, 2008 At the 2008 Busia Foundation Annual Lectures, New Patriotic Party Presidential Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivered a lecture on democracy, security, and the rule of law in Accra. Devoted to Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, the lectures address issues facing Ghana, including democracy; rights & duties, liberty & responsibility; criminal justice reform; police/population ratio; combating the drug trade; focus on youth; and securing the borders. For the complete transcript of the lecture, follow the link below. Akufo-Addo began the lecture with:

Earlier last month, USA Today reported on Problem Solving Courts and the impact their programs are having on recidivism for drug and mental health related non-violent crime. The Center for Court Innovation reports more than 2,000 drug courts in the United States. Read USA Today's Article in full at the link below: