Coming innovations, thought-provoking trends, questions that matter to the court community, these and more themes are covered by the Court Leader’s Advantage podcast series, a forum by court professionals for court professionals to share experiences and lessons learned.

Podcasts will be available on the third Tuesday of every month.

Do you have questions or comments about Court Leader’s Advantage Podcasts? Contact clapodcast@nacmnet.org

Courts and the Quest for Talent: Are We Doing Enough?

March 19th NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode In April of 2022, we hosted a podcast episode on “The Great Resignation.” At the time large numbers […]

Artificial Intelligence and the Courts: Promise or Peril?

February 20th NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has spawned numerous questions, both practical and ethical.  These are questions that […]

Artificial Intelligence and the Courts: Opportunity or Omen?

January 16th, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Artificial Intelligence. The media is filled with discussions of its potential to dramatically change our lives. It will increase […]

Suburban and Rural Courts: Their Perspective. How Do We Fairly Allocate Court Resources?

December 19th, 2023, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode The struggle to equitably and effectively allocate court resources is a challenge that faces every state. Everywhere the […]

Suburban and Rural Courts: Their Perspective. Do Remote Hearings Pose Special Challenges?

November 21st, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Suburban and rural courts often face distinctive issues. These issues are different from those of truly small […]

Criminal Justice: A Revolving Door? Should Recidivism Be a Trial Court Performance Measure?

October 17th NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode In the middle of last month’s episode, the question was asked, should recidivism be a trial court performance […]

Leading in Tough Times: Can We Stay Savvy About Statistics?

September 19th Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode As court leaders, we are inundated with statistics and research.  We have all been taught to have a healthy […]

Leading in Tough Times: Leaders as “Influencers”

August 15th, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Leaders deal with multiple circles of individuals. Two that you as a court administrator or Clerk of […]

Leading in Tough Times: Leading When Things Don’t Succeed

July 18th, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode As one progresses higher in an organization the challenges of leadership can become a regular test. Increasingly […]

Leading in Tough Times: Living It Day-to-Day

June 20th, 2023, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Is there another concept in court administration that has been discussed, studied, and analyzed more often than Leadership?  […]

Hiring Employees: Have the Tables Turned? Are the Candidates in Control?

May 16th, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode It was not that long ago that the phrase “you’re lucky to have a job” was powerful […]

Hiring Employees: Is the Power Imbalance Real and Do We Even Care?

April 18th, 2023 We have been talking about various aspects of employee recruitment and selection, often as it intersects with diversity, equity, and inclusion. This brought […]

Is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion A Zero-Sum Situation?

March 21st, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Numerous organizations, including courts, are embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With that increasing acceptance, we are also […]

Courts and the Homeless? How Should Courts Respond to this Crisis?

February 21st, 2023, NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode We see this growing crisis everywhere. We pass the cardboard sign at the intersection asking for donations […]

Courts and Ethics: Should the U.S. Supreme Court Adopt a Code of Conduct?

January 17th NACM Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Every state in our nation has a Judicial Code of Conduct. Every judge in each state is obligated […]

Hiring Court Employees: Can Selection Criteria Be Objective?

December 20th Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Courts have committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion particularly in recruiting and selecting court employees. This […]

Courts and Confidence: Does the Public Look at Different Courts Differently?

Released on November 15, 2022. The public’s perception of our courts continues to be a topic of concern and curiosity for court professionals. Last month we […]

Courts and Confidence: What Do We Know About How the Public Perceives the Courts?

Released on October 18, 2022. What do we know about how the public views our courts? We know that the public’s trust and confidence in courts […]

Courts and Customers: What Do Court Users Have to Tell Us?

Released on September 20, 2022. Obtaining customer feedback, obtaining usable feedback, obtaining enough of it to be able to rationally modify court programs, all of these […]

Behavioral Health and the Courts: What Should You Be Doing Right Now?

Released on August 16, 2022. In this episode, we ask the question, “What should our courts be doing now?” This month we bring our discussion on […]

Where is Bail Reform Now? Drive for Reform and Push Back

Released on July 19, 2022. Bail Reform has been praised as an effective way to correct a societal wrong. Its byword has been “bail does not […]

Online Dispute Resolution and Virtual Mediation: What Is Your Court Choosing?

Online Dispute Resolution has been with us in various forms since the 1990s, although it really became widely accepted a little over five years ago.  By […]

Behavioral Health and the Young: Adolescents and The Mental Health Crisis

  This country’s mental health crisis is by no means limited to adults.  We know that young people frequently suffer from traumatic events.  This fact has […]

The Great Resignation: How Has It Affected the Courts?

One unintended consequence of the COVID pandemic has been a phenomenon called “The Great Resignation.” Large numbers of American workers have either quit their jobs or […]

Mental Health and the Courts: The Collaborative Court and Community Effective Criminal Case Management

Released on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. In our last two episodes on mental health and the courts we talked about the fact that traditional criminal case […]

Work-Life Balance: What Does it Look Like in 2022?

Released on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. We’ve been talking about work-life balance for decades. It is a perennial challenge. What has changed in these last two […]

Mental Health and the Courts: The Crisis with Competency to Stand Trial

Released on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. In November we started our discussion on how mental illness is impacting our nation and particularly our courts. In this […]

The Voice of the Profession: Public Confidence in the Courts

Released on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. The preliminary results from NACM’s Voice of the Profession survey have revealed this year’s number one issue: Public Confidence in […]

What We Know Now About Mental Health and the Courts: Grasping the Challenge

Released on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. The challenge of mental health impacts America nationwide. It impacts our states, our communities, our courts, and our entire justice […]

Defending Against Cyberattacks! What to Ask to Make Sure You are Safe

Released on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. A cyberattack is truly a different kind of threat, but that threat is real and growing. It takes a different […]

Courts of Record, Judicial Selection, Should Everyone Get a Lawyer? What Can We Learn from Challenges Local Courts Face Every Day?

Released on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Local Courts can offer incredible opportunity for both defendants and for the community. They are positioned precisely at a point […]

Examining Local Courts: Uncovering the Real Story

Released on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Local Courts are the least analyzed components of the American court system. This is particularly ironic since there are thousands […]

International Rule of Law Assignments: Asking Questions that Change Lives

Released on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Long days of travel, strange hotels, and strange food. Yes, international assignments can include all of these. But it can […]

NACM’s International Committee Are You Ready for The Adventure?

Released on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. International work can be challenging. It can also be very rewarding. No matter what, it is an adventure you will […]

Is There a Key to Effective Communication? Let’s Hear from You!

Released on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This week we are continuing our April 20th conversation with our panel on what is the key to effective communication, […]

Courts and Cyberattacks! It’s Not “If” – It’s “When”

Released on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Threats from cyberattacks can be easily ignored by courts. There are many rationalizations: “Our court is too small to worry […]

The Battle Over Bail Reform: How 5 Courts are Coping with the Challenge

Released on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. The national movement to reduce or eliminate cash bail continues to spark heated discussion. Several states, including New Jersey and […]

Mental Health and the Courts: The Collaborative Court and Community Effective Criminal Case Management

Released on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. In our last two episodes on mental health and the courts we talked about the fact that traditional criminal case […]

Is There a Key to Effective Communication? Particularly During the Pandemic

Released on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. It seems that at some point in every class the facilitator utters those words, “communication is key.” We all know […]

What Generation X and Millennials are Saying About the Workplace: Three Perspectives

The Pew Research Center has estimated that there are right now more Millennials than Baby Boomers in America. By 2030 Millennials and Gen Zs will make […]

Is Bail Reform Working? Charlotte’s Revealing Story

It has been estimated that nationally, more than 60 percent of people in jail have not been convicted of a crime, they are awaiting trial. Almost […]

Dealing with the Generations: What Do Good Managers Understand?

Managing the multigenerational workplace is more demanding today than ever before. Why has it become such a challenge? One reason is that we are living and […]

Social Media and the Courts: How Do We Deal with This Growing Reality?

Blogs and podcasts are a growing fixture on our social landscape. There are now more than 750,000 podcasts produced and over 48 million people a week […]

Suddenly He Was There: Is Your Court Prepared for a Shooting Tragedy?

Shooting incidents are becoming a scourge on the American landscape and courthouses are certainly not immune. An incident can last only seconds but the trauma to […]

The Network’s On the Phone: Pulling Back the Curtain on High Profile Trials

From O.J. Simpson, to Trayvon Martin and Casey Anthony, we have become used to the media targeting trials and turning them into spectacles. Many in the […]

Held for Ransom: How Safe is Your Data?

Ransomware attacks are running rampant throughout the nation. Atlanta, Georgia; Lake City, Florida; Albany, New York; and Del Rio, Texas have all been victims. Most recently […]

Is AI Already Here? The Answers May Startle You

You may not be aware, but artificial intelligence (AI) has already established itself in our daily lives. From Amazon to Alexa, sophisticated algorithms affect much of […]

CLA Podcast Bonus: When Might Blockchain Appear in Your Court

“The verifiable integrity of Blockchain records, linked and secured using cryptography, could soon be used in a variety of innovative ways to resolve court recordkeeping challenges. […]

Blockchain: Is It Your Court’s Future

Blockchain is a business and accounting tool that has the prospect of changing the way organizations handle money. Its built-in safeguards prevent electronic hacking of financial […]

Alaska’s Earthquake: Its Surprising Lessons

Friday, November 30, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska, suffered a magnitude 7.1 earthquake followed by thousands of aftershocks. Though we always think of California when we think earthquakes, […]

Artificial Intelligence: What You Need to Know Now

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has already brought us general business tools that courts can use to assist in automating work, analyzing documents, and conducting legal analysis. As […]

What Hurricane Florence Can Teach Us

Last September, Hurricane Florence devastated North Carolina’s families, its communities, and its courts. There had to be “contingency plans for contingency plans” in order to deal […]

YOUR HOST

Peter Kiefer

NACM Podcast Host


Peter C. Kiefer is a career court veteran with over 40 years experience working with trial courts in Oregon, Arizona, and California. He has been an administrator in general jurisdiction and limited jurisdiction trial courts; he has also worked for state court administrative offices in both Oregon and California. He has consulted with the judicial systems in Liberia, Moldova, and Beirut, Lebanon, as well as being a member of a NACM delegation to visit the People’s Republic of China. Peter graduated from Santa Clara University with his bachelor’s degree in Political Science, received his Master’s of Public Administration with a specialty in Court Administration from the University of Southern California. In 2016 he became a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management. In 2015 Peter was given the NACM Award of Merit.

Do you have questions or comments about Court Leader’s Advantage Podcasts? Contact clapodcast@nacmnet.org

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