This week our two volunteers are Pat Ford and David Moore.

Pat Ford's topic is: "The ethical rules that define and proscribe the unauthorized practice of law impose an unnecessary obstacle to the efficient administration of justice and should, in limited circumstances, be amended so that personal injury plaintiffs' lawyers can provide more efficient representation to their clients."

Pat has assigned the following material:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/reg20n1c.html  [George C. Leef, "Lawyer Fees Too High? The Case for Repealing Unauthorized Practice of Law Statutes," Regulation, vol. 20, no. 1 (1997).]

http://www.paralegals.org/Development/nonlawyer.html  [ABA Commission on Nonlawyer Practice, "Nonlawyer Activity in Law-Related Situations: A Report with Recommendations" (1995).]

http://polisci.wisc.edu/~kritzer/research/legalprof/barriers.html [Herbert M. Kritzer, "Rethinking Barriers to Legal Practice," 81 Judicature 100 (1997).]

Note (reminder): David's time will be shared with one or two resource persons, Julie and Matt Goodlaxson. Matt served with the instructor on the ICCSD school board -- an agency confronted with special education issues. Matt and his wife have special education sons, have been very active with individuals and groups locally, and Matt has served on an Iowa Governor's commission dealing with some of these issues. They should be able to bring a perspective that will help all of us understand the significance of Dave's subject.

David Moore's topic is: "The problems of poorer parents and children with disabilities covered under the IDEA in obtaining legal assistance and proper placement for a free and appropriate public education can be solved through or by (1) voluntary mediation hearings conducted by attorneys trained in mediation techniques and knowledgable in special education law to ensure a proper placement, and (2) altering the fee shifting provision to include IEP meetings."

Dave's readings include:

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/special_education/sped_overview.html  [LDOnline, "Understanding the Special Education Process: An Overview for Parents" (Pacer Center, 1999)]

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/special_education/due.html  [LDOnline, "What You Should Know About Due Process Hearings" (Beach Center on Families and Disability, 1998)]

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/special_education/mediation.html  [Finn Bille, "Choosing Mediation to Resolve a Conflict with your Child's School" (Committee on Labor and Human Resources, 1997)]

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/special_education/ida_mortenson.html  [James R. Mortenson, "Why Should We Mediate Special Education Disputes?" (International Dyslexia Association Perspectives, Winter 1998)]