Access to Justice and the Judiciary : Towards New European Standards of Affordability, Quality and Efficiency of Civil Adjudication

Access to justice is among the most important notions in modern legal vocabulary. It is a central topic in the famous book series edited by the late Mauro Cappelletti, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the land-slide reforms of Lord Woolf in England, and the reform of most other modern justice systems. From all these sources, one general line of thought emerges: every individual deserves legal protection that is not only quick, but also effective and affordable. In a time when an ever growing demand for justice meets economic crisis and shrinking resources, innovative approaches to the access to justice are urgently needed. This present volume discusses a variety of such approaches from across Europe and beyond, all united by their significance in contemporary trends in legal and judicial reform. They are presented in the four sections of this book: Access to Justice and Legal Aid; Accessibility by Improvement of Quality; Access to Justice through Mediation and Arbitration; and Accessing Justice through Efficient Enforcement.