NAWJ 2025 Midyear Meeting

The Invisible Cost of Administering Justice: How Judges Can Prioritize Their Own Healing To Better Serve Themselves And Others

Judges carry the immense responsibility of administering justice, yet the personal cost of this work is rarely acknowledged. This session will explore how a judge’s well-being directly impacts their ability to serve others with fairness, clarity, and compassion. Through reflective exercises and discussions, participants will consider how prioritizing their own care—physically, mentally, and emotionally—could help them serve others. The session will highlight the essential role of self-compassion, emphasizing that knowing oneself, recognizing shared humanity, and responding with kindness are not only vital for personal well-being but also for serving others with integrity and wisdom.

Panelists:
Mr. Rick Barinbaum
Professor Bridgette Carr
Professor Vivek Sankaran

Women in Prison and Family Preservation

While in the US, women only account for 9% of the total prison population and 15% of the total jail population, they are growing at exponential rates compared to men. Historically, justice-involved women have been under-studied, simply placed in prisons and programs designed for men. Thus, gendered issues that women experience have been ignored in the larger field of study. Increasingly, we have learned that they commit crimes differently than men (largely non-violent, less serious), experience different challenges, and need different support than men in carceral setting. This session will focus on the gendered issues that arise for women around pregnancy, parenting, and separation from children during incarceration, including barriers and possible solutions.

1. Review the existing literature and theory on women’s experiences in prison in the US including in committing crime, experiences in prison, and experience with re-entry with a focus on gender issues related to pregnancy and parenting
2. Identify the multi-faceted and gendered issues that are associated with experiencing pregnancy in carceral settings for women and their families 
3. Understand the importance of seeking to promote family preservation for justice-involved women 
4. Explore the harms associated with family separation for justice-involved women, their children, and society
5. Investigate gendered issues within immigration detention with focus on family separation 
6. Analyze possible policy solutions and their barriers to implementation, with a focus on evidence-based best practices to promote ethical treatment of pregnant incarcerated women and support family unification

Panelists:
Dr. Maya Barak
Professor Kathleen Darcy
Ms. Lily Hamze

Bridging the Gap: State Court Leadership in Increasing Access to Justice

Join us for an insightful roundtable with Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Beth Clement and Michigan Supreme Court Justice and co-chair of the Justice For All Commission, Justice Brian Zahra, as moderated by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge and NAWJ President Michelle Rick.  They will explore the critical efforts being led by courts to address and reduce the justice gap. Justice Clement will share her national expertise on the initiatives and reforms aimed at ensuring equitable access to justice for all, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations. Justice Zahra will share lessons learned from the work of the Justice for All Commission.  Through innovative policies, procedural changes, and strategic partnerships, state courts are making strides toward a more inclusive and accessible legal system. This session will offer a unique opportunity to learn from the leading voices in the movement to close the justice gap and make justice truly accessible for everyone.

Featuring Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement & Justice Brian Zahra

How Can Specialty Courts Increase Access to Justice?

With more than 200 specialty courts, including Drug and Sobriety Courts, Mental Health Courts, Veterans Treatment Courts and others, Michigan is a national leader in creating innovative court programs for people who interact with the justice system.  These specialty courts work holistically with adults and youth to offer services and opportunities that foster healing and resiliency, empowerment and stability, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism and improving lives.  This session explores how specialty courts are reframing “justice” and just outcomes and how these courts increase access to and opportunities for just outcomes.  Panelists explore these topics through the lens of their experiences with tribal court, adult mental health court, juvenile human trafficking court, and unhomed persons court.  In this session, you will:  

1. Reframing “Just” Outcomes and Access to Justice: Be asked to think differently about what are just outcomes in our court systems and what role specialty court practices can play in improving peoples access to those just outcomes.
2. Judicial Decision Making: Gain insight into systemic problems and institutional failures that contribute to adults and youth coming into contact with our court systems and how an understanding for those barriers can inform a judge’s holistic approach to treating the person in front of them.
3. Innovation in Specialty Courts:  Learn about the variety of specialty courts that exist, their unique methods to achieve common goals, and ways to incorporate specialty court practices into any court, even if community and institutional resources are a barrier.        

Justice in the AI Age: Supporting Self-Represented Litigants

The large number of unsophisticated self-represented litigants (SRLs) presents significant challenges to the administration of justice. In some courts, upwards of 80-90% of family law cases involve at least one SRL. Studies show a high percentage of pro se claims fail to survive preliminary motions. This session explores how the use of artificial intelligence might help. Discover how AI-powered tools can aid judges in handling SRL cases effectively, enhance access to justice for SRLs, and streamline overloaded court operations. Explore ethical considerations and gain actionable insights for navigating the evolving landscape of law and AI.

Upon completing this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Judicial Decision-Making: Analyze how AI-driven tools, such as case summarization, legal research assistance, and evidence authentication, might improve judicial efficiency and decision-making in cases involving SRLs.
2. Access to Justice: Evaluate how AI applications for SRLs, including legal guidance systems, plain-language translation, and interactive coaching, might enhance access to justice and inform judicial strategies for managing such cases.
3. Court Administration: Assess the benefits and ethical considerations of implementing AI to support SRLs and improve court operations, with a focus on reducing burdens on judicial and court staff and improving data-driven insights for judicial administration.

Making the Move:  Best Practices, Ethics & Tips to Transition to ADR

Transitioning to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can be a rewarding career change, but it requires a unique set of skills and ethical considerations distinct from those in judging or lawyering. This program is designed to help you determine if ADR is the right path for you and to guide you through the transition process.

Join us to explore:

• The key differences between ADR and traditional legal roles
• How to evaluate if a career in ADR aligns with your professional goals
• Various pathways to establishing a practice in arbitration, mediation, court-appointed neutral work, hearing examiner roles, or as an ombuds
• Practical steps to successfully transition into the ADR field
• Common challenges faced during the transition and expert tips to overcome them
• Ethical dilemmas unique to mediation and arbitration and how to navigate them

Gain insights from experienced panelists who have successfully made the switch and learn how to make your transition to ADR smooth and successful.