The Civil Justice Initiative, a massive effort to help reform the civil justice system so that it works better for everyone, involves work at many different levels and in many different areas. Supported by SJI since 2017, this initiative addresses multi-partner strategies to align and maximize resources.

One area with great potential is online dispute resolution (ODR), which allows people to use their smart phones or computers to file small claims cases and communicate with other parties without having to appear in court.  Done the right way, it can revolutionize how people use the courts to settle disputes.

Webinars sponsored by the Self-Represented Litigation Network, are scheduled for:

• Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Retired California Superior Court Judge Sherrill Ellsworth and Jonathan Verk, founder of a website called Co-Parenter, will discuss the role that the website has in helping to resolve disputes. Ellsworth works with courts and families as a mediator, “resolving disputes and removing children from conflict.”
• Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Shannon Salter, Chair of British Columbia’s pioneering online court, will discuss the court, which is called the Civil Resolution Tribunal.  The court, the first of its kind in Canada, hears disputes of less than $5,000, and Salter has reported that 94 percent of the cases settle before they get to a judge.