Throughout Europe, judicial systems are under an increasing societal and political strain to increase the speed of proceedings, to improve their organisational functioning, and to pay attention to the media and the public. As a consequence European governments have recognized the necessity to invest in their judicial systems, since they perform a growing role in the democratic life and an essential task in upholding the rule of law This difficult challenge of change can not be left only to the juridical professionals that traditionally have the domain on judicial systems. The contribution of public administration scholars will be important to develop a body of knowledge that can endorse this challenge and combine insights from different perspectives. This collection wants to stimulate further developments of public administration studies in the field of justice. These contributions describe various attempts that have been made in the different countries to cope with the increasing political and societal demands to the justice system. They reveal many existing tensions between traditional legal professional values, in particular judicial independence, and pressures to increase productivity and effectiveness of the work of the courts and public prosecutors' offices. Accountability and legitimacy of the courts are at stake here as well. Attention is also being paid to the consequences of the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies in judicial organisations.

With the recent explosion of high-profile court cases and staggering jury awards, America's justice system has moved to the forefront of our nation's consciousness. Yet while the average citizen is bombarded with information about a few sensational cases--such as the multi-million dollar damages awarded a woman who burned herself with McDonald's coffee-- most Americans are unaware of the truly dramatic transformation our courts and judicial system have undergone over the past three decades, and of the need to reform the system to adapt to that transformation.

In Reforming the Civil Justice System, Larry Kramer has compiled a work that charts these revolutionary changes and offers solutions to the problems they present. Organized into three parts, the book investigates such topics as settlement incentives and joint tortfeasors, substance and form in the treatment of scientific evidence after Daubert v. Merrell Dow, and guiding jurors in valuing pain and suffering damages. Reforming the Civil Justice System offers feasible solutions that can realistically be adopted as our civil justice system continues to be refined and improved.

Judicial authority is constituted by everyday practices of individual judicial officers, balancing the obligations of formal law and procedure with the distinctive interactional demands of lower courts. Performing Judicial Authority in the Lower Courts draws on extensive original, independent empirical data to identify different ways judicial officers approach and experience their work. It theorizes the meanings of these variations for the legitimate performance of judicial authority. The central theoretical and empirical finding presented in this book is the incomplete fit between conventional norms of judicial performance, emphasizing detachment and impersonality, and the practical, day-to-day judicial work in high volume, time-pressured lower courts. Understanding the judicial officer as the crucial link between formal abstract law, the legal institution of the court and the practical tasks of the courtroom, generates a more complete theory of judicial legitimacy which includes the manner in which judicial officers present themselves and communicate their decisions in court.

Decision-aiding software, the underpinning of computer-aided judicial analysis, can facilitate the prediction of how cases are likely to be decided, prescribe decisions that should be reached in such cases, and help administrate more efficiently the court process. It can do so, says Nagel, by listing past cases on each row of a spreadsheet matrix, by listing predictive criteria in the columns, and in general by showing for each factual element the estimated probability of winning a case. The software aggregates the information available and deduces likely outcomes. But it can also prescribe judicial decisions by listing alternatives in the rows, the goals to be achieved in the columns, and by showing relations between alternatives in the cells. By similar means decision-aiding software can also help perform administrative tasks, such as rationally assigning judges or other personnel to cases, and by sequencing cases to reduce the time consumed by each case.

In Part I, Nagel provides an overview of computer-aided analysis and the role of decision-aiding software in the legal process. In the second part he deals with judicial prediction from prior cases and from present facts; and in the third part he emphasizes the prescribing role of judges, particularly in deciding the rules that ought to be applied in civil and criminal procedures. Nagel also covers computer-aided mediation and provides a new perspective on judicial decisions. Then, in Part IV, he treats at length the process of judicial administration and how to improve its efficiency. Of particular interest to court personnel will be the benefits to be derived from reducing delays and in the docketing and sequencing of cases.

This book analyses the instruments and approaches offered by public international law to resolve cultural heritage related disputes and facilitate the return of illicitly transferred objects to their countries of origin. In addition to assessing the instruments themselves, their origins, and their advantages and disadvantages, it also examines the roles and interests of the actors involved. Lastly, the book explores the interaction between hard and soft law approaches, the reasons for and importance of this interaction, as well as its consequences.

Today juvenile delinquents are viewed and treated much like adult criminals. The goal of rehabilitating and reforming youthful offenders--once the primary function of juvenile courts--has largely been abandoned in the past decade in favor of a punishment-orientation that includes extended periods of incarceration. This study, written by a distinguished group of criminologists, legal experts, and social scientists, attempts to determine the reasons for the decline in interest in rehabilitation, what can be done to revive it, and whether rehabilitation is ultimately a practical approach to the problem of juvenile crime.

This brand new edition of "Death Penalty Cases" makes the most manageable comprehensive resource on the death penalty even better. It includes the most recent cases, including Kennedy v. Louisiana, prohibiting the death penalty for child rapists, and Baze v. Rees, upholding execution by lethal injection. In addition, all of the cases are now topically organized into five sections: * The Foundational Cases * Death-Eligibility: Which persons/crimes are fit for the death penalty? * The Death Penalty Trial * Post-conviction Review * Execution Issues The introductory essays on the history, administration, and controversies surrounding capital punishment have been thoroughly revised. The statistical appendix has been brought up-to-date, and the statutory appendixhas beenrestructured. For clarity, accuracy, complete impartiality and comprehensiveness, there simply is no better resource on capital punishment available.

* Provides the most recent case material--no need to supplement. * Topical organization of cases provides a more logical organization for structuring a course. * Co-authors with different perspectives on the death penalty assures complete impartiality of the material. * Provides the necessary historical background, a clear explanation of the current capital case process, and an impartial description of the controversies surrounding the death penalty * Provides the latest statistics relevant to discussions on the death penalty. * Clearly explains the different ways in which the states process death penalty cases, with excerpts of the most relevant statutes."

This reference volume will assist the attorney who needs to understand inheritance laws, administration, and probate proceedings in other states and foreign jurisdictions. Among the areas covered are rights of intestacy, rights of pretermitted and posthumous children, and rights of election by surviving spouses. The book also addresses problems inherent in probate, administration, and kinship proceedings and furnishes the attorney with a method for gathering the information these proceedings require. Henner also highlights Western European estate tax treaties and their interaction with the laws of the United States, thus providing a rudimentary foundation for understanding the conflict of laws. He also provides commentary on common law, community property, administrative duties, etc. Finally, the volume contains organizational charts and informational data sheets, as well as a directory of bar associations.

Like many books, this one argues for a more restrained Supreme Court. Unlike most other books, however, this one grounds that call in a fully elaborated constitutional theory that goes beyond the "counter-majoritarian difficulty."

Smith introduces a new concept, "critical judicial nominations," to advance scholars' understanding of the consequences of the federal nomination process for the Supreme Court and the American political system. The study suggests that specific events related to the judicial branch, namely "critical judicial nominations," have significant unanticipated consequences for the Supreme Court's role in the political system, as well as for electoral politics. This is demonstrated in illustrative historical examples which, most importantly, include an in-depth case study of the Clarence Thomas nomination and its subsequent ramifications.

This book provides a comprehensive study of the standard of 'full protection and security' (FPS) in international investment law. Ever since the Germany-Pakistan BIT of 1959, almost every investment agreement has included an FPS clause. FPS claims refer to the most diverse factual settings, from terrorist attacks to measures concerning concession contracts. Still, the FPS standard has received far less scholarly attention than other obligations under international investment law. Filling that gap, this study examines the evolution of FPS from its medieval roots to the modern age, delimits the scope of FPS in customary international law, and analyzes the relationship between FPS and the concept of due diligence in the law of state responsibility. It additionally explores the interpretation and application of FPS clauses, drawing particular attention to the diverse wording used in investment treaties, the role ascribed to custom, and the interplay between FPS and other treaty-based standards. Besides delivering a detailed analysis of the FPS standard, this book also serves as a guide to the relevant sources, providing an overview of numerous legal instruments, examples of state practice, arbitral decisions, and related academic publications about the standard.

As the volume of international business transactions continues to grow dramatically, and as trade relations develop between an ever-increasing number of countries, it is inevitable that many questions of comparative business risk and liability should arise. What common elements underlie the various methods of limiting product liability applied in different national jurisdictions? How do different legal regimes protect the legitimate rights of consumers? These were the fundamental questions addressed by a seminar on warranties and disclaimers held within the framework of the 2000 Annual Conference of the International Bar Association in Amsterdam. The seminar - jointly sponsored by IBA Committees S (Products, Liability, Advertising, Unfair Competition and Consumer Affairs), M (International Sales and Related Commercial Transactions) and CC (Corporate Counsel) - consisted of four introductory summaries and 33 country reports by local practitioners. The presentations focused on many important issues, including the following: legal and contractual warranties in contracts for the supply of goods or services between manufacturers, distributors and end-users; methods of communicating disclaimers and limitations of liability; strategies for securing limitations of liability downstream; and variations in the legal effectiveness of disclaimers and limitations.

This edition gives full attention to the new constitutional context in which South African criminal law now operates. It also looks at the emerging culture of human rights and freedoms which has begun to generate a significant shift in perceptions of the "boni mores" of a new South African society. The law is stated as at June 1996, and references to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are to the final Constitution enacted in 1996.

Cultural Difference on Trial: The Nature and Limits of Judicial Understanding comprises a sustained philosophical exploration of the capacity of the modern liberal democratic legal system to understand the thought and practice of those culturally different minorities who come before it as claimants, defendants or witnesses. Exploring this issue from within the tradition of contemporary analytical and naturalistic philosophy and drawing upon recent developments in the philosophy of mind and language, this volume is informed by a sound academic and practical grasp of the workings of the legal system itself. Systematically analysing the nature and limits of a judge's ability to understand culturally different thought and action over the course of a trial, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the workings of the modern legal system.

The clergy abuse scandal has posed the greatest threat to the traditional understanding of the Catholic priesthood since the Protestant Reformation. Now, as then, the deadliest attacks are coming from within the Church. In an attempt to improve a system that allowed a small minority of the clergy to violate children and ameliorate the gross negligence of some bishops who recycled these predators, the American bishops instituted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002. It is, unfortunately, doing the Church more harm than good.

In Hope Springs Eternal in the Priestly Breast, Fr. James Valladares shows how justice and charity have been violated by some bishops in dealing with accused priests. He examines the pertinent canons that guide the Church's judicial system and finds that these are often ignored or wrongly applied. He provides true cases that highlight the injustice of the process and the agony of priests who have been subjected to the charter's draconian mandates.

The Church has incurred tremendous financial losses because of settlements rising from both legitimate and false claims. Her image has been marred by the secular media, which has taken advantage of the crisis. Even so, we often fail to understand how trivial these are in comparison to the damage done to the priesthood by the enactment of the charter's policies. This is the most pressing issue that the bishops need to address.

In this book, 78 leading attorneys in California and New York describe how they evaluate, negotiate and resolve litigation cases. Selected for their demonstrated skill in predicting trial outcomes and knowing when cases should be settled or taken to trial, these attorneys identify the key factors in case evaluation and share successful strategies in pre-trial discovery, negotiation, mediation, and trials. Integrating law and psychology, the book shows how skilled attorneys mentally frame cases, understand jurors' perspectives, develop persuasive themes and arguments and achieve exceptional results for clients.

The book is a brief journey through centuries and jurisdictions and expands on examples of enactment practices of states that support, challenge or even reject communication during pending litigations. England, as the main representative of a jurisdiction, suggests communication solutions potentially different than the practice in the United States where litigation communication first time occurred. Accordingly, the author offers a comprehensive analysis and detailed historical narrative of the positions of various jurisdictions in relation to communication in the legal process. As a kind of applied legal history, the book provides an exploration of historical events that were significant in a legal communication context and addresses their implications for modern enactments. The account looks at the history of regulations to allow a better understanding of the strict rules that have often been cited over the years support or restrict communication in the legal process. The author provides the reader with proper contexts on different judicial and communication considerations, as well as the collaboration of legal and public relations experts, in a particular form of crisis and reputation management, in the litigation process. As such, this book is an attempt to present an accurate and thoughtful account of the theory and history of litigation communication, which is directly relevant in various debates such as the work on the meaning and context of the Contempt of Court Act in England or the American First and Sixth Amendments in different centuries.

This innovative book proposes a fundamental rethink of the consensual foundation of arbitration and argues that it should become the default mode of resolution in international commercial disputes. The book first discusses the most important arguments against this proposal and responds to them. In particular, it addresses the issue of the legitimacy of arbitrators and the compatibility of the idea with guarantees afforded by European human rights law and US constitutional law. The book then presents several models of non-consensual arbitration that could be implemented to afford neutral adjudication in disputes between parties originating from different jurisdictions' to offer an additional alternative forum in the doctrine of forum non conveniens or to save judicial costs. The first dedicated exploration into the groundbreaking concept of default arbitration, Rethinking International Commercial Arbitration will appeal to scholars, students and practitioners in arbitration and international litigation.

This is the second volume to appear in the "AIJA Law Library" series. It has been prepared by members of the AIJA Standing Commission on International Arbitration under the editorship of Peter Eijsvoogel. It is intended to be a reference work for practitioners in the field of international arbitration, both counsellors and arbitrators. The book features 20 national reports from major jurisdictions. These outline the general character of the legal system in respect of ADR procedures, sources of procedural rules for arbitration, law and practice on documentary evidence and submissions, testimonial evidence and the involvement of experts. In addition, the text contains a detailed analysis of the legal rules pertaining to the taking of evidence in both civil and common law systems, and highly practical contributions relating to deposition skills.

This authoritative commentary examines the new Vienna Rules and the Austrian Arbitration Act that both came into effect on 1 July 2006 as the result of a major reform. Following a call for modernization, this reform has further enhanced the attraction of Austria as an arbitral seat and has reinforced the importance of the Centre for parties seeking to resolve international commercial disputes. While the Rules themselves have become widely known among lawyers and arbitrators, there has been no significant commentary or guidance available until the advent of this book. Set out as an article-by-article commentary, the authors' expert guidance proceeds in conformance with international practice, reconciling approaches adopted in both common law and civil law traditions. Within this enormously valuable international perspective, the book provides in depth coverage of all details of arbitral procedure under the Vienna Rules and Austrian arbitration law, including: - validity of arbitration agreement and jurisdictional disputes; - appointment, rights and duties of arbitrators; - liability of arbitrators; - multiparty proceedings; - challenge of arbitrators and experts; - treatment of counter-claims; - interim measures of protection; - settlements and awards; and - costs and fees in arbitration. The book provides the reader with a framework, and specific instruments, to negotiate arbitrations effectively and ensure that the process remains predictable, expeditious and fair. Drawing on extensive research into the practice of the International Arbitral Centre in Vienna, as well as on case law, academic writing, and the Act's legislative history, this book will be of great value to corporate counsel, international lawyers, and arbitrators, as well as to students of dispute resolution.