SURVEY: If you had the chance, how would you go about building
the best court system in the world? Most court systems have evolved
over hundreds of years, and contain quirks and anomalies through
historical accident.
Occasionally some parts of the process are updated and
sometimes political pressure forces change. Rarely is there an
opportunity to build a court system from scratch. Yet that seems to
be the intention of an ongoing consultation in Scotland. Lord Gill
has been tasked with reviewing the entire civil court system in the
country. His mandate allows for 'root and branch' reform.
The cynic might dismiss the review as an exercise in
cost-cutting masquerading as reform. But there does seem to be a
desire to look at all aspects of the dispute resolution system and
to build a modern, and effective, process.
So where do you start? We believe that if a review is to be
effective then it needs to identify the core principles which are
necessary for the proper running of a justice system. We have
launched a survey that suggests 10 principles.
We would be grateful for your views on these principles – and
three lucky respondents will each win a 16GB Apple iPod Touch.
Please take our
2-minute survey.
