From the President

I am honored to have been elected as the 26th President of the National Association for Court Management.

I am appealing to every NACM member to assist in continuing the strong leadership of our Association during the next year. NACM represents a collective body of dedicated individuals with diverse backgrounds committed to our chosen profession – court administration. We collectively recognize the importance of courts in society and are universally committed to preserving the rule of law.

As with any change in leadership, I believe it is extremely important that expectations and goals are identified. I encourage and solicit input from you as to how we can continue to improve the efficiency and operation of the Association.

I am proposing the following key goals for my term of office during 2010-2011:

1. First and foremost, to serve you, our members, and represent you with all of our partner organizations.
2. To begin the implementation of the six-point NACM National Agenda reported in our 25th anniversary issue of the Court Manager.
3. Create a re-membering effort with our Membership Committee to bring back members who have had to resign due to financial hardship.
4. Implement a strong Distance Learning initiative in concert with our Website Committee.
5. Create a plan for updating the NACM Core Competencies under the leadership of our Planning Committee.
6. Maintain Budget Accountability by creating a Financial Plan/ Investment Strategy.
7. Continue the focus on grant funding initiatives.
8. Improve communication through our publications, website and social media.
9. Revitalize and restructure our committees.
10. Explore additional association partnerships.

Some of these concepts are new to NACM; others just need fine- tuning. The important work of the National Association for Court Management cannot be overstated. For this reason, let me remind you that NACM needs you. If you would like to volunteer for one of our committees, please let us know.

I am excited about the upcoming year and feel extraordinarily privileged to work for and with each of you. I admire and respect the work that court professionals do. I look forward to the year’s challenges and welcome your ideas, concerns and visions.

Jude Del Preore

Mentor Program

The NACM Board has recently approved a new program for its members. The Mentor program is designed to connect new and existing members to NACM, its leadership, benefits and service opportunities, while creating mutually beneficial relationships to enhance the participants' professional and personal development.

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A Case Study Series: Paper on Demand

This is the first in a series of paper-on-demand case studies, which will be posted to NACM’s website with links to eFiling survey results.

Study of E-Filing in Colorado and Utah

Del Preore Named President of NACM

Press Release

Court Professionals Give to New Orleans Community

Press Release

Free Technical Assistance

Criminal Courts Technical Assistance Project

Adult Drug Court Technical Assistance Project

Special Caseflow Management Improvement Initiative (CMII)

NCSC Provides Courts with New Tool to Improve Jury Operations

The National Center for State Courts' (NCSC) Center for Jury Studies recently released a new tool to help our nation's trial courts evaluate and improve jury operations. The Jury Managers' Toolbox™ (JMT) is an online diagnostic tool designed to identify areas of strength and weakness in jury operations, suggest targeted strategies to improve performance, and estimate the fiscal and operational impact of those improvement efforts. With courts seeking greater operating efficiency in order to maintain essential judicial services to citizens, JMT can help provide solutions in the area of jury management. Use of the software is free to state court personnel at www.jurytoolbox.org. More...

Online Clearinghouse to Help Courts, Judges Cope with Aging Population

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) will launch a new website to provide the nation's courts with resources, information, and training related to aging, probate issues, and elder abuse on June 15, which is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The new site, http://eldersandcourts.org, is an initiative of NCSC's Center for Elders and the Courts (CEC), which serves as the primary resource for the judiciary on issues impacting the elderly. The CEC was established by the National Center in 2008 and is funded by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation. More...

NCSC Releases 22nd Edition of Future Trends in State Courts

The evaluation and adjustment of court operations to improve processes and save money while increasing efficiency and maintaining service levels to the public — a process known as court reengineering — is the central theme of Future Trends in State Courts 2010, the latest edition of the National Center for State Courts' (NCSC) annual "Report on Trends in State Courts" series. This is the 22nd edition of the series, which is dedicated to making courts aware of key trends that affect not only court operations, but also the role of courts in society. More...

The NACM Board unanimously endorsed three far-reaching resolutions of the Conference of Chief Justices:

• Diversity of Judicial Law Clerks Working for State Court Judges
• State Supreme Court Initiative Proposed by the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School
• Strengthening Court Oversight and Performance in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases

The NACM Board of Directors unanimously endorsed two timely resolutions recently adopted by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators

1) State Courts and Elder Abuse: Ensuring Justice for Older Americans; and 2) In Support of the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act. These far reaching resolutions provide an excellent framework for future training, research, publications and model legislation.