National Center for State Courts

10/16/2026

The best preparation for practice is to practice.

The Committee of Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR) found broad support for expanding experiential learning through clinics, internships, externships, clerkships, and supervised practice—giving future lawyers meaningful responsibility before they begin practicing independently.

Courts play an essential role in that journey.

Every internship, clerkship, and mentoring opportunity helps future attorneys develop the professional judgment, courtroom experience, and client-centered skills they cannot learn from a textbook alone.

CLEAR recommends expanding experiential learning opportunities that better prepare lawyers to meet the needs of courts and the public.

Strong lawyers are developed through experience—and courts help make that possible. Learn more: ncsc.org/CLEAR.

10/16/2026

NCSC was honored to join the American Judges Association (AJA) in Nashville for its 2026 Annual Conference as a presenter and the association's secretariat.

Judges and court leaders came together to exchange ideas and explore issues shaping the judiciary, from judicial independence and leadership to artificial intelligence, restorative justice, and judicial well-being.

We’re proud to support AJA’s work to strengthen the judiciary and foster connections across the court community.

10/15/2026

Improving your court’s data doesn't necessarily mean that more data is needed.

Sometimes the information already exists. The problem is that systems don’t always describe data in the same way.

Different definitions. Different values. Different structures.

The result? Data that works within one system can become difficult to interpret or exchange with another. That’s where standards can help.

The National Open Court Data Standards (NODS) provide common data elements, definitions and values to help courts make their data more consistent, understandable, and shareable.

And adopting NODS doesn’t mean replacing your CMS or collecting every possible data element. NODS can help courts understand and align the data they already have. Because interoperability doesn’t begin when systems connect. It begins when they agree on what their data means.

How well does your court’s data language align with the systems you exchange information with?

10/15/2026

Today is Conflict Resolution Day—a good time to think about how courts can make resolving disputes easier, faster, and more accessible. One opportunity? Online dispute resolution (ODR).

For people representing themselves, getting to court can mean time away from work, transportation challenges, and procedural confusion.

ODR can give litigants a way to manage their case, communicate, exchange documents, negotiate, and potentially resolve a dispute online—without necessarily stepping into a courtroom.

For courts, that can mean greater access, more efficient processes, and fewer unnecessary court appearances.

ODR isn't just about putting court services online. It's an opportunity to rethink how courts resolve disputes and serve the public.

Check out our resources for an in-depth look at how court-led online dispute resolution improves customer service, increases efficiency and fairness, and reduces costs.

Moving some processes online offers a practical way to resolve cases more efficiently. Our tested tools, expert guidance, and lessons from courts around the globe will help you adopt ODR in your court with confidence.

10/14/2026

What if the goal of support isn’t to make decisions for someone—but to help them make their own?

Guardianship can provide protections when it’s necessary. But it can also limit an individual’s rights. That’s why courts and their community partners should understand the full range of supports available before determining that guardianship is appropriate. That can include:

• Supported decision-making
• Natural and community-based supports
• Less restrictive legal arrangements
• Services that address specific needs

But knowing that alternatives exist is only part of the solution. People need access to the supports that make those alternatives possible.

NCSC's community mapping approach helps courts bring together the people and organizations that can identify those supports, uncover gaps, and build stronger pathways to assistance.

See how we helped Massachusetts use community mapping to strengthen awareness of less restrictive alternatives. Then explore resources that can help your court identify options that support adults while preserving autonomy. https://www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/supporting-vulnerable-adults-through-community-guardianship-mapping-massachusetts

10/14/2026

Looking to expand your court’s recruitment reach? Meet CORA 2.0.

We’ve relaunched Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA) with new features that make it easier for courts to connect with students and recent graduates nationwide.

CORA is a free platform where courts can advertise judicial clerkships, internships, externships, and opportunities in court administration and other court departments.

The results speak for themselves. Since 2023, courts in 42 states and territories have advertised 601 opportunities through CORA, generating 1,170 applications.

Ready to reach more candidates? Create a CORA account and start advertising your court’s opportunities today.

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Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA) is a free online portal where courts can showcase clerkship, internship, and externship opportunities for students and recent graduates.

10/13/2026

The eCourts 2026 exhibit hall is officially sold out.

More than 70 vendors will be on site, representing a broad range of court technology solutions.

For courts exploring new technologies or thinking about what comes next, the exhibit hall offers an opportunity to see what’s happening across the court technology landscape—all in one place.

And while exhibit space is sold out, registration for eCourts 2026 is still open.

Join us Dec. 7–9 in Las Vegas and explore the full conference experience.
Learn more, register, and see the layout of the eCourts 2026 exhibit hall.

➡️ https://e-courts.org

10/13/2026

Filing for adult guardianship is a serious legal action that can significantly limit an individual’s rights. It's important to consider alternatives first.

Before a petition is filed, individuals, families, caregivers, and professionals may benefit from a structured way to consider whether guardianship is necessary—or whether a less restrictive alternative may provide the right level of support.

NCSC’s "Adult Guardianship Decision Helper" is designed to help guide that conversation. The interactive tool helps users consider areas of concern, explore alternatives, and determine whether guardianship may be appropriate.

It helps individuals ask the right questions before making a decision that can significantly affect a person’s rights and autonomy.

Explore our "Adult Guardianship Decision Helper."
https://guardianship-alternatives.ncsc.org/

10/12/2026

If your systems went down tomorrow, would your court be ready?

Ransomware can disrupt access to critical systems, making it difficult for courts to maintain day-to-day operations.

While strong cybersecurity practices can help prevent an attack, preparedness for recovery matters, too. A few steps can make a difference:

💾 Back up critical data — and make sure those backups are protected from the systems they’re designed to restore.
🔄 Test your backups — a backup is only useful if you can successfully restore it.
📋 Know your priorities — identify the systems and information your court needs most to continue essential operations.
🤝 Coordinate your plans — cybersecurity incident response should work hand in hand with continuity-of-operations and disaster-recovery plans.

Cybersecurity isn't just about keeping threats out. It's also about making sure courts can keep moving when something goes wrong.

10/12/2026

Define a strategy for solving your court's biggest problems BEFORE thinking about AI.

That was one of the clearest messages from the September TRI/NCSC AI Policy Consortium webinar. With rising workloads, staffing shortages and constrained resources, where should courts start? Not with “Where can we use AI?”

Start with:
→ Where is work piling up?
→ Which processes are repetitive or labor-intensive?
→ Where are staff spending time on lower-value tasks?
→ What would better look like?

Then ask whether AI—or another technology—is the right solution.

Panelist David Slayton, executive officer/clerk of court for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, shared a practical example: The court identified high-volume e-filing as an operational pain point and explored technology to address that specific challenge.

Problem → process → solution → pilot → measure.
The technology should serve the workflow—not the other way around.

What’s the biggest workflow pain point in your court? Start there.