♫ The spheres’re in commotion
The elements in harmony
She blinded me with science
“She blinded me with science!”
And hit me with technology…♫
Lyrics and Music by Thomas Dolby and Jonathan Kerr, recorded by Thomas Dolby.
This is a guest post by my friend and colleague, Christy Burke, written today for the blog Legal IT Professionals. With her permission I have reproduced it here.
Web-Based Dispute Resolution Systems Gain Traction as Court Delays and Low Value Disputes Surge
Courtroom showdowns make for great movie scenes, but To Kill a Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch would be shocked to hear that the courts are only resolving a fraction of today’s legal disputes. A growing number of cases are being resolved by online tools, and sometimes lawyers and judges are not even involved. Impartial web-based systems apply computation, algorithms and cryptographic technology to bring about resolution quickly and inexpensively.
A growing stable of private sector companies are beginning to compete with the judicial system for “customers” and are also changing the face of traditional Alternate Dispute Resolution or ADR, which has typically included mediation, arbitration and other alternatives to the courts.
Not only are approaches to justice and negotiation changing, but some of these new systems like those provided by Fair Outcomes, are actually prompting lawyers and their customers to be more honest about the value of a case and their realistic objectives from the outset, providing disincentives to lie, bully and posture. Utopian though it may sound, this is actually becoming a reality. Atticus would be happy to hear that, at least!
A potential paradigm shift is in the making here, but what is motivating parties to look outside traditional courts, mediation and arbitration and flock to the web for resolving their disputes? In short, overburdened courts, lean economic times, cost, and convenience all figure into the mix.
Pared Down Courts Cannot Keep Up
Many courts in the US and abroad are sagging under the weight of overflowing caseloads while budget cuts slash their resources – a double negative. Take California for example. (more…)