An update of Treatment of Brady v. Maryland Material in United States District and State Courts' Rules, Orders, and Policies, the October 2004 report to the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules as it and the Standing Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure consider proposed amendments to Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

At the request of the Advisory Committee on Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, the Center collected and reviewed local bankruptcy rules regarding signatures of non-registrants of CM/ECF (e.g., debtors) and requirements for retention of documents bearing original handwritten signatures of non-registrants. Staff also reviewed district court rules regarding signatures and retention, reviewed an OMB document on the use of electronic signatures in federal transactions, and solicited the views of interested parties regarding potential rules changes in these areas.

An analysis of federal and state statutes, decisions, and rules concerning the awarding or setting of attorneys' fees. The report focuses on four problem areas: valuation of legal services, division of fees among attorneys, contingent fee arrangements, and funding of public-interest litigation through fee awards.

While considering a proposal to amend Fed. R. Civil P. 23 to create new certification standards that would apply only to settlement class actions, the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules sought this empirical research from the Center to help it decide how to proceed. This report is the second phase. For the first phase see Effects of Amchem/Ortiz on the Filing of Federal Class Actions: Report to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules (2002).