Court21

Court 21 is an academic partnership between the Law Department, the Informatics Research Institute and the Business School of the University of Leeds in conjunction with the Courtroom 21 project and CourtCom Ltd.

Introduction

The justice processes (criminal and civil) are constituted by a series of decision- making forums in which a multitude of legal conflicts and disputes are resolved. They range from dispute resolution and arbitration through to the courts processes, through to the appeals courts. Information technology has gradually been introduced into each forum and is beginning to shape them. The UK government has, for example, recently invested upwards of 1bn stlg in IT for the various courts systems. But, little is known about the impacts of IT upon the justice processes, upon the symbolic position of the resolution processes within society and more specifically upon changes in the structure of the relevant legal professions or upon the way that the various justice institutions are beginning to interact. Simply put, will the technological transformation of the courts be confined to a physical exercise in the installation of workplace equipment, without legal or social implications, akin to fitting out courts with electric light bulbs or central heating. Else, will the justice processes in the new information age have to adapt to the implications of globalisation (and glocalisation), trans-jurisdictionality, and networked justice processes? If the increasing reliance upon technology will be transformative, then in what directions will and should the transformations in law and social professional and public practices take shape?

Activities

• involvement in trans-jurisdictional lab trials

• conference on 'The 21st Century Digital Court' (2003)

• IT Enhanced Digital Resolution Conference (2005)

• UK-China Dispute Resolution Workshop (2005)

• links to LeedsLegal (2006)

Published papers

• Dew et al, 'Virtual artefacts to support negotiation' (2002)

• Barnett, 'The virtual courtroom and online dispute resolution' (2003)

• Walker, 'The Criminal Courts online' (2004)

• Barnett, 'Legal and policy implications of courtroom technology: the United Kingdom (2004)

• Barnett and Dew, 'IT enhanced dispute resolution' (2005)

• Walker, 'Cyber-terrorism' (2006)

• Dew and Barnett, 'e-Legal services' (2007) (Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Online Dispute Resolution, Palo Alto, 2007)

• Wall, Cybercrimes (2007)

Links