Access to civil justice
Efficiency, affordability and fairness

Two-week study programme 8 to 19 November 2010 Public Administration International

About the programme

Civil justice is increasingly recognised as a major public service – as important in its own way as other services like health and education, and requiring a very large investment of public money. Yet the administration of justice is distinctive, not least because of the sensitivities surrounding judicial independence. How can judicial independence be reconciled with the need for public accountability and for the monitoring of efficiency? Should litigants be treated – as they are, increasingly, in the UK – as ‘customers’, whose needs and expectations should be given priority over the convenience of courts and lawyers? British judges have, in recent years, been given more responsibility for case-management; has this proved to be a positive development? Should litigants have unlimited rights of appeal? Can better use be made of information technology? How can access to justice be improved, particularly for people of limited financial means when only limited public funding is available? How effective are administrative law procedures whereby the citizen can challenge the legality and fairness of official actions?

This two-week programme is designed mainly for lawyers, judges, legal administrators and representatives from non-government organisations and funding agencies with an interest in the judicial sector. It will draw substantially upon recent and continuing developments in England and Wales and will also encourage the sharing of ideas and experiences among participants from other jurisdictions.

How participants will benefit

The study programme will:

• Introduce participants to the civil justice system of England and Wales
• Familiarise participants with recent and continuing initiatives to modernise the management and delivery of civil justice– such as the reports by Lord Woolf in the 1990s, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the establishment of the Tribunals Service in 2006
• Enable participants to understand the financial and other obstacles to access to the civil justice system
• Discuss the roles of judicial review, of administrative tribunals and of ombudsmen in the delivery of administrative justice
• Compare experiences of delivering civil justice in participants’ own countries
• Identify aspects of UK experience which can be applied internationally and aspects of overseas experience from which the UK system might benefit
• Help participants to identify practical ways of initiating relevant and sustainable change to enhance access to civil justice on their return to their own countries.

What the programme will cover

The programme will explore practical strategies for improving the delivery of civil justice and access to the civil justice system. Participants will examine how the key mechanisms and agencies, such as courts and tribunals, the Ministry of Justice and its executive agencies, the legal aid system and the legal professions relate to one another and deliver their services. Consideration will also be given to the role of alternative methods of dispute resolution (ADR), such as mediation and ombudsman systems. The programme will include seminar sessions, discussions, case studies, practical work and visits. It has been designed to be flexible so that it can be adjusted wherever practicable to meet the specific requirements of participants and their organisations.

The programme will comprise two main components.

• Participants will be briefed about the UK Government’s civil justice policies; the measures being adopted to modernise the various elements of the civil justice system in England and Wales; how successful these measures have been and how they fit into wider strategies for the delivery of accessible justice
• Participants will consider, in the light of shared experience, options for their own national circumstances, development of action plans and strategies for change.

Participants will be invited to give informal presentations on their own system and to identify any particularly pressing problems relating to the management and delivery of civil justice in their home country..

Programme outline

We reserve the right to change the programme as necessary.

Location and arrival arrangements

The study programme will be based mainly in central London and is likely to include one night’s stay outside London.  Visits to people who have direct experience of managing in the UK civil justice system in government, the court service and non-government organisations will be included.  On request, PAI can assist with finding suitable hotel accommodation and can arrange travel to and from the airport.

Language

The programme will be conducted in English.  Participants will be expected to have a good working knowledge of the language.

Fees and other costs

The fee for the two-week study programme will be £3,050.  This includes tuition, travel to and from the airport, travel on official visits, return travel for an official visit outside London and one night’s accommodation while outside London (airport travel, travel on official visits, return travel and one night’s accommodation to a visit outside London, are provided at cost).  The fee also includes all documentation.  UK Value Added Tax (VAT) will not be charged if applicants can provide written confirmation from their Government or its accredited representative that they are employed by the Government in furtherance of its sovereign activities.  In all other cases, VAT (currently 17.5%) will be charged in addition to the fee.  Payment in full must be received by PAI no later than 8 November 2010.  Cheques should be made payable to Public Administration International.  Alternatively, PAI is able to invoice individuals or government agencies.  Payment by bank transfer is also acceptable.

If participants cancel their booking within 21 calendar days of the start of the programme we will charge £250 to cover administration costs. Alternatively, fees already received can be held as a credit towards the cost of future PAI study programmes.

We reserve the right to cancel the programme if there are not enough participants to make it viable. In these circumstances, fees already received will be refunded in full.

Airfares, accommodation costs, daily travel (other than on visits scheduled in the programme), meals and living expenses are not included. We suggest that approximately £120 per person per day should be allowed for a modest standard of accommodation, local travel in the UK, meals and other incidental expenses. Participants requiring a higher standard of accommodation (for example a 4 star hotel) will need to allow approximately £175 per person per day.

Discount

We offer a 10% discount on the tuition fee if a funding organisation sponsors more than three participants in any one calendar year. Please ensure that when you book your fourth participant (in any one calendar year) you let us know so that we can apply the discount.

Insurance

Participants are advised to arrange travel and health insurance cover before leaving their home country.

Public Administration International (PAI)

PAI specialises in management consultancy and development services for organisations in and associated with the public sector worldwide. We provide advice and support for governments undergoing political, economic, structural and legislative change. Our extensive network of associates includes practitioners, academics and independent consultants.

The Director of Studies for this study programme will be Professor Gavin Drewry. Gavin Drewry is Professor of Public Administration in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of London. He is a specialist in public administration and public law and has published widely in the field. He is also an experienced tutor and presenter. Our other contributors include a range of practitioners involved in the civil justice sector.

How to apply

Clare Walters
Public Administration International
10 Bayley Street
London, WC1B 3HB
UK

T +44 (0)20 7580 3590
F +44 (0)20 7580 4746
pai@public-admin.co.uk

Applications should be made as soon as possible as the number of available places is limited.

How to contact us

For further information about this programme or our consultancy and development services, please contact:

Claire Cameron
Director
Public Administration International
10 Bayley Street
London, WC1B 3HB
UK

T +44 (0)20 7580 3590
F +44 (0)20 7580 4746
pai@public-admin.co.uk
www.public-admin.co.uk

Public Administration
International Ltd
10 Bayley Street London WC1B 3HB
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