SUPREME
COURT RULE CHANGE
Rule Change Regarding Exhibits and Docket Fees
The Nebraska Supreme
Court's Jan. 19 rule amendments to Neb. Ct. R. of Prac. 2F(1)
and 5B(3)b(i) are now posted under "Rule Amendments"
http://court.nol.org/rules/
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UPCOMING CFI EVENTS
Please
mark your calendars for any or all of the upcoming CFI events
in 2006.
May 20,
2006 – 2nd Annual Barristers' Ball, Doubletree Hotel,
Omaha. Proceeds from the Ball will go to support the Minority
and Justice Implementation Project. This event will include
dinner, live and silent auctions and a dance, as well as honoring
members of the NSBA who hae been deemed "Visionaries"
for their efforts.
June 12,
2006 – 3rd Annual NSBA-CFI Greater Nebraska Golf
Scramble, Lochland Country Club, Hastings. Registration includes,
golf cart, driving range, lunch and dinner. Prizes awarded
to the top two teams, along with hole prizes and raffle items.
Proceeds will benefit VLP.
August
21, 2006- 10th Annual NSBA-CFI Golf Scramble, Firethorn
Country Club, Lincoln. Registration includes, golf cart, driving
range, lunch and dinner. Prizes awarded to top teams in two
flights, along with hole prizes and raffle items. Proceeds
will benefit VLP.
More detailed
information to follow in the upcoming months. If you or your
members are interested in further information on any of these
events, please contact Sam
Clinch at 800-927-0117, ext. 25.
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ADD NSBA EVENTS DIRECTLY TO YOUR OUTLOOK CALENDAR
Simply click on
the meeting you wish to download from the NSBA
calendar and when prompted click the "Open"
button. An Outlook appointment screen should then appear.
Click the "Save & Close" button to save to your
Calendar.
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2006 ABA TECHSHOW
Celebrating its
20th year, the ABA TECHSHOW® continues to be the world's
premier legal technology conference and exposition. From April
20-22, 2006 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, more
than 1400 participants will attend the ABA TECHSHOW® to
take advantage of the more than 60 legal technology programs
and training sessions offered in fourteen topical tracks.
Over 100 technology vendors will feature the latest in legal
technology products and services.
This year NSBA
members will receive a $100 association member registration
discount. Register early and receive an additional $200 Early
Bird Discount (ends March 10) to save a total of $300 in registration
fees. Act now to receive this incredible benefit!
To register now,
visit the ABA TECHSHOW® web site at www.techshow.com.
Choose Program Promoter Registration and specify promoter
code PP101.
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JUROR QUALIFICATION FORM RULE AMENDMENT
Neb. Ct. R. Regarding Use the of Nebraska Juror Qualification
Form (adopted January 25, 2006)
The Nebraska Supreme
Court Juror Qualification Form Rule has been amended to allow
for amendments if submitted to the Court for approval.
http://court.nol.org/rules/amendments/Rule36amendment2.htm
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COURT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT REASSESSMENT REPORT
ON ABUSE/NEGLECT AND FOSTER CARE
Chief Justice John V. Hendry announced the release
of a new study of the Nebraska court and legal systems’ work
with abuse and neglected children and children in foster care:
The Court Improvement Project Reassessment Report on Abuse/Neglect
and Foster Care. (The complete report can be found on the
Judicial Branch Web Site www.nebraskacourt.com
under “what’s new” titled: Reassessment of Court and Legal
System for Child Abuse and Neglect and Foster Care – 2005.)
“It is gratifying
to learn that the court system has improved in the past decade,
but this report confirms our belief that there are still problem
areas that we need to address,” said Chief Justice Hendry.
“The focus of our Commission on Children in the Courts which
began its work a year ago, and the Nebraska State Court Action
Plan which was developed in September, 2005, appear to be
appropriately tailored to address the most significant challenges
in Nebraska’s courts.”
According to Chief
Judge of the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Commission
on Children Co-Chair, Everett O. Inbody, administrative changes
within the appellate court system had been made in advance
of the release
of the report. “In the fall of 2004, the judges of the Court
of Appeals
recommended to the Supreme Court strict enforcement of some
rules and proposed other rule changes to expedite these cases
through the system.
The Supreme Court immediately took appropriate action to implement
the changes,” said Judge Inbody. “Although no study has been
completed, it appears to our court that we have been able
to reduce the waiting time for these children by three to
four months; and more improvements are in the planning stages.”
The Supreme Court
has scheduled a statewide Children’s Summit in September 2006
where all Nebraska’s juvenile judges will lead community teams
of child protection administrators, attorneys, and others
in an effort to streamline and improve the system for Nebraska
children.
National experts will provide training to these teams about
court practices that can significantly improve outcomes for
children. Judges and their teams will then go back to their
communities and work in a collaborative way on improving their
local court systems.
Chief Justice
Hendry stated, “We are confident our current and planned activities
will make important improvements in the work of our courts.
The report that we are releasing today strengthens our commitment
to continued improvement in our courts’ efforts with children,
our most vulnerable citizens.”
The author of
the report and Director of the Nebraska Court Improvement
Project, Dr. Vicky Weisz, a research associate professor at
the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Center on Children,
Families, and the Law states, “This report indicates that
Nebraska courts continue to struggle with consistently providing
timely, well-informed decisions for all children and families.
Fortunately, recent and current activities are directly related
to these shortcomings. Chief Justice Hendry’s strong leadership
and the dedication of countless committed judges, attorneys,
child protection administrators and others will continue to
result in concrete improvements to the court system’s work
with abused and neglected children. ”
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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
The Federal Public Defender is accepting applications for
a fellowship as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Omaha,
Nebraska starting in April, 2006. This position is intended
for attorneys with less than two years of experience. Annual
salary range is $46,000 to $50,000 depending upon experience.
This is a one
year position with the possibility of a one year extension.
Major consideration will be given to individuals who express
a desire to remain in Nebraska and practice federal criminal
defense after completion of the fellowship. Fluency in Spanish
helpful. Selected candidate will be subject to a background
check as a condition of employment.
Interested applicants
should send a resume, cover letter, and list of three references
to David R. Stickman, Federal Public Defender, 222 S. 15th
Street, Suite 300N, Omaha NE 68102. Application deadline is
February 24, 2006. Please, no telephone inquiries.
Equal Opportunity
Employer.
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MINORITY AND JUSTICE IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
RELEASES ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT
The Nebraska Minority and Justice Implementation Committee,
a joint effort of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska
State Bar Association, established to examine and address
issues and perceptions of racial and ethnic bias in the court
system, is pleased to release its annual Progress Report.
The Report is available on-line at: http://www.nebar.com/pdfs/public_info/ProgressReport2005.pdf
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