In this episode of Reimagining Law, we talk to Hon. Mary Anne Mason (Ret.), Co-Chair of the CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation, and Zack DeMeola, Director of Legal Education and the Legal Profession at IAALS. Justice Mason and Zack discuss the national movement around attorney regulatory reform, why lawyers should care, and what’s happening in Illinois with the CBA/CBF Task Force.
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Timestamps
- 1:55 – Can you explain what the national movement around attorney regulatory reform is and why it’s being considered?
- 3:16 – The CBA and CBF created a Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation. What were the concerns that underly the creation of this task force?
- 5:45 – Why should lawyers care about regulatory reform?
- 8:42 – What are the key recommendations in the CBA/CBF Task Force Report and what are the next steps?
- 12:52 – What are some of the key issues being studied and implemented nationally?
Related Reading
Hon. Mary Anne Mason (Ret.)
Hon. Mary Anne Mason (Ret.) has had a career spanning more than 40 years, including nearly 19 years on the bench in Cook County, Illinois. From July 2013 to her retirement, the Illinois Supreme Court assigned Justice Mason to serve on the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, where she twice served as presiding Justice. She also served on the First District Settlement Committee and mediated cases on appeal by agreement of the litigants.
Justice Mason’s 13-year tenure on the circuit court included nine years in the Chancery Division. Prior to taking the bench, Justice Mason spent 21 years in public and private practice. She currently serves as a Mediator, Arbitrator, and Special Master at JAMS.
Zack DeMeola
Zack DeMeola is the Director of Legal Education and the Legal Profession at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), a national, independent research center at the University of Denver dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement and advancing excellence in the American legal system.
At IAALS, Zack works to improve the delivery of legal services through a variety of projects that focus on education, licensing and admission into the profession, the intersection of law and technology, and the regulation of the legal profession. He is currently leading the IAALS Unlocking Legal Regulation Project, which supports and facilitates efforts to improve the regulation of legal services in the U.S. Zack joined IAALS in 2017 after having litigated in private practice for six years.
Connect with Zack
- Twitter: @z_demeola
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zachariahdemeola-75498a9
- Website: https://iaals.du.edu/
About Reimagining Law
The Reimagining Law video series explores how legal and judicial professionals are adapting the delivery of services to meet the unique needs of today’s consumers. Reimagining Law is produced by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. This episode was recorded on August 5, 2020.
Production note: Due to connectivity issues, Justice Mason’s video stream has been replaced with a headshot.