Page:North Dakota Law Review Vol. 1 No. 4 (1924).pdf/7

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Hon. Geo. M. McKenna, Chairman of the Committee on the American Law Institute, reports progress in the work of that organization as follows:

“The Judiciary and Bar of the U. S. are looking forward with keen anticipation and interest to the annual meeting of the American Law Institute, which will be held in Washington, D. C., the first week in May.

“In a recent address by Dr. William Draper Lewis, Director of the Institute work, he intimates that it is possible that some of the work on the re-statement of the law may be submitted to the membership for examination, discussion and approval at this, the third annual meeting of the Institute.

“The reporters and their advisors and assistants have been busily engaged for approximately a year and a half on the re-statement of the law of Torts, Conflict of Laws, Contracts and Agency. To date a portion of the re-statement of the law of Contracts, namely, that covering the Promotion of Contracts, has been sent to the Council for its consideration, as has also the subject of DomicilDomicile [sic] in the topic Conflict of Laws, and that portion of the law of Torts which deals with Battery, Assaults and False Imprisonment. The first part of Agency will very likely be ready for the consideration of the Council in a short time.

“The Council is the executive body of the Institute and is composed of thirty-three members. If the Council is satisfied that the draft presented to it on any of the above topics is sufficiently well done, it will order such portion of the work submitted to the entire membership in May, or the work may be referred back to the reporter in charge for further change.

“It would seem to be immaterial whether the re-statement of any topic be done in four, or eight, or twelve years, but it is essential, in the highest degree, that, if the re-statement is to carry weight, if it is to secure the approval of the Courts of last resort, and the Bar of the several States, that the work must be pre-eminently well done. It is hoped, therefore, that no time or labor or expense will be spared in the preparation of the work.

“It is sufficient for the present to report that definite progress has been made in the re-statement, and that the interest of the right type of men at the Bar in all parts of the country has been secured, and that the reporters in charge are men who have devoted years of study to their particular subjects and are the outstanding authorities in the United States in the topics which they have been assigned.”

Judge McKenna, as Chairman for North Dakota, plans on attending the Washington meeting in May.