On January 25, 2024, Attorney General Downey and Chief Justice Morawetz launched the Civil Rules Review (“CRR”). A Working Group of 14 individuals – drawn from the bar, the bench, and academia – was mandated to identify issues and develop proposals for reforming the Rules of Civil Procedure (the “Rules”) to make civil court proceedings more efficient, affordable, and accessible.

Phase 1 was completed in May 2024. Through a process of discussion and targeted consultation, it involved identifying the scope of potential reforms for more in-depth consideration. The Phase 1 report can be found here. 

The Phase 2 report was completed in April 2025.  The Phase 2 report can be found here. We encourage you to read the report in depth as this report proposes significant changes to the way we practice law.

The Hamilton Law Association conducted a survey of our members, to gauge responses. We did not ask questions on every part of the report but instead on those substantive portions that the HLA Board executive felt necessary for comment. Based on your input, the Hamilton Law Association has drafted a letter to the Attorney General and the Civil Rules Review Working Group, which may be read here.