The Judges Forum
NCJI’s Forum for State Appellate Court Judges, held annually since 1992, is a full-day educational program offered only to judges. This intensive, in-depth examination of current issues affecting civil justice in the United States allows judges to attend as guests of the Institute, at no cost to them or their court. This Forum provides original legal research, created by prominent academics; commentary by experts from both sides of the bar; and small group discussions to facilitate a deep dive into the issues raised. The Forum papers and reports are available for free download and provide citable, unique resources for the judiciary, academics, and practitioners.
Academic Symposium
NCJI is committed to producing new empirical research supportive of the civil justice system. To do this, the Institute collaborates with the nation’s top law schools in identifying academics working on cutting-edge legal research across the country, and invites them to prepare research for Academic Symposia. The papers prepared for the Symposia are published in the co-sponsoring law schools’ Law Reviews. Relevant topics have included state constitutional civil jury trial and remedy guarantees; the “war” on the U.S. civil justice system; the future of redress for injured workers in light of changing employment law; mandatory arbitration; and medical malpractice. The Symposia are CLE-accredited and are free to NCJI Fellows, judges, academics, students, and nonprofits. Other attorneys may attend for a nominal fee.
Howard Twiggs Memorial Lecture on Legal Professionalism
Howard Twiggs was president of The Foundation in 1997-1999, and served NCJI for more than twenty years as a beloved trustee, adviser, supporter, and defender. He also served the state, regional, national and international trial bars in a multitude of different capacities in a career that spanned more than fifty years, earning every honor accorded to those who champion the causes of injury victims and their families. Endowed by the National Civil Justice Institute, this annual lecture honors the life and work of Howard F. Twiggs.
NCJI Papers
For more than four decades, the Institute has published an impressive library of resources for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and the judiciary. The resources include books; reports of the Judges Forum; roundtable discussions; the Chief Justice Earl Warren Conferences on Advocacy; a model code of conduct for lawyers; research monographs; and the Civil Justice Digest. These Papers serve to enhance the available research on the civil justice system. NCJI’s Papers are free to NCJI Fellows, academics, courts, and members of the judiciary.
Awards
The Institute seeks to honor individuals who have significantly furthered the principles of civil justice and advocacy for those seeking redress. The Appellate Advocacy Award, awarded annually, recognizes excellence in appellate advocacy in America. It is given to attorneys who have been instrumental in securing a final appellate court decision with significant impact on the right to trial by jury, public health, and safety. The Civil Justice Scholarship Award, bestowed periodically to published legal academics, recognizes current, scholarly legal research and writing focused on topics in civil justice, including access to justice and the benefits of the U.S. civil justice system, as well as the right to trial by jury in civil cases.