Judicial Case Management – Ensuring greater court efficiency and accountability

Judicial Case Management –Ensuring Greater Court Efficiency and Accountability.

CEELI Training 2021 – 2022

5-week Online Open Course Starting April 26
2.5 Hours per Week – Live Panel every Tuesday at 18:00 CET

Effective case management not only ensures the efficiency and transparency of the judicial system, but also enables access to justice and upholds the right to a fair trial. Case management entails the availability of systems, sufficient staff and members of the judiciary to process cases, as well as measuring their efficiency and effectiveness. This online course will cover these issues through a number of themes, including the role of the judge, evaluating judicial performance, achieving greater court efficiency through case management, and the use of technology. These topics are at the forefront of debates among the judiciary across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

REGISTRATION & PARTICIPANTS

The main target audience is judges from our Judicial Network in Central and Eastern Europe, together with prosecutors, court personnel, academics, NGOs, CSOs and others. However, the subject matter may also appeal to judges in other regions.

Participants can register HERE.
All applications are reviewed and subject to approval.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND APPROACH TO LEARNING

This 5-week course from the CEELI Institute will use CEELI Online, our dedicated learning platform, to facilitate an effective learning environment that provides the opportunities for members of the judiciary and faculty to connect, engage and share knowledge. The training is comprised of a structured program of study with a number of online modules (both live and recorded) featuring a weekly release of materials. Each week comprises of 2.5 hours of materials including reports, recorded interviews, and discussion forums with a live 1-hour webinar panel each Tuesday at 18.00 CET. The course will be conducted in English. This course has been designed with the needs of our judges in mind and for the CEE context, but many of these challenges are universal and will resonate with members of the judiciary in other jurisdictions.

FACULTY

We feature inputs from international and regional judges, academics, and members of the justice sector and court community together with subject matter experts from European Institutions. Our stellar faculty line-up includes:

• Judge Andrea Moravcikova, Vice President of Supreme Court of Slovakia
• Judge David Campbell, U.S. District Court of the District of Arizona, United States
• Mr Duro Sessa, President of European Association of Judges, Deputy President of Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE), Croatia
• Mr Georg Stawa, Judicial Counsellor for Southeast Europe and former President of CEPEJ, Austria
• Judge Giacomo Oberto, First Instance Court of Torino (Civil Court), President of CEPEJ-SATURN, Italy
• Dr Grzegorz Borkowski, International Legal Expert, former Head of Office of the National Council of the Polish Judiciary and HELP Consultative Board, Poland
• Mr Ivan Crnčec, Justice Sector Reform Expert, Member of CEPEJ-SATURN, Croatia
• Judge Jan Sikuta, President of Supreme Court of Slovakia
• Mr Jaša Vrabec, Office for Court Management Development, Head of the Office Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia
• Mr Jeffrey Apperson, Vice President for International Affairs at the National Center for State Courts, United States
• Judge John Tunheim, U.S. District Court of the District of Minnesota, United States
• Dr. Marco Fabri, Research Director of the National Research Council of Italy
• Judge Martina Marsić, Basic Court in Rijeka, Croatia
• Ms. Martina Vrdoljak, Municipal Court in Rijeka, Croatia
• Justice Mirjana Trajkovska Lazarevska, Justice of the Supreme Court of North Macedonia, Former ECtHR Judge for North Macedonia
• Judge Sabine Matejka, President of Austrian Association of Judges

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1 – The Role of the Judge in Case management

• Underpinning principles of fair trial, reasonable time, transparency and efficiency, confidentiality and security
• Adjusting the process to fit the size and needs of the case
• Setting and maintaining firm trial dates
• Impartiality of the judge in cases assigned by the Automatic Court Case Management System.
• European recommendations for judicial case management

Module 2 – Using Case Management to Increase Court Efficiency

• Relevant standards for duration of cases (international and national) and time-frames for key steps in the case
• Measuring incoming cases and pending cases
• Clearance rates
• Time frames: policies, standards and tools for measuring
• Prioritisation and dealing with backlogs
• Use of mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to reduce backlogs
• Maintaining deadlines (summons or case documents not sent out on time, insufficient time allocated to a hearing)
• Performance measurement
• Strategies and recommendations to strengthen judicial case management
• Standardization of judicial proceedings through unification of terminology, ciphers, electronic forms, certificates, correspondence, decisions and other documents, as well as the methodology of data entry and case movement protocols.

Module 3 – Evaluating Individual Judicial Performance

• Assessing individual judicial performance and ‘effectiveness’
• Measuring incoming cases and pending cases
• Clearance rates
• The use of quotas to measure performance and how this measurement impacts of the quality of justice provided
• Relevant standards for duration of cases (international and national) and time-frames for key steps in the case
• Objective case allocation, potential risks, undermining judicial independence, government interference
• Monitoring fair, transparent and efficient workloads
• Procedural flexibility needed by case managing judges
• Delegation of case management tasks to court staff, availability of sufficiently trained staff
• Prioritisation and dealing with backlogs, potential use of mediation and ADR

Module 4 – Role of Technology / Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

• Tools for case management and for monitoring of cases and productivity
• Hybrid systems of hard and soft materials
• Digitalisation of Justice and e-CODEX
• Complexity of databases and extent to which they are integrated with other systems
• Issues of confidentiality and security
• Data collection
• Integrated Case Record Management
• E-Filling and Registration.
• Reporting and Analytics in receiving feedback.
• Status and problems in the use of ICT in the judiciary.

Module 5 – Contemporary Issues

Course Flyer

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Supporting the Croatian Judiciary: Facilitating Attention to and Adoption of European Jurisprudence

By Lauriane Labourel / November 29, 2016

In late September, the CEELI Institute was again be able to support the efforts of the Croatian Judiciary as it grapples with challenges related to the independence and impartiality of justice—both of which continue to be under challenge in the region. Content of the program was particularly framed around Opinion No. 18 of Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) addressing “the position of the judiciary and its relation with other powers of state in a modern democracy.” Discussions were further augmented by reference to relevant case decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the concepts of impartiality and independence articulated and defined therein. Such discussions are particularly relevant in the region, as working level judges are not, contrary...

Empowering Tunisian Judges

By Lauriane Labourel / November 29, 2016

The CEELI Institute is continuing its long work with the Tunisian judiciary, now focusing on a selected group of the most proactive judges from the sessions conducted over the past three years (2013-2015). This new phase of our engagement addresses public trust in the judiciary - a topic selected by the judges themselves. The participating judges have prioritized several aspects crucial for public trust in the judiciary, including relationship with the media, and greater outreach and educational programs for university and high school students. The judges are also committed to work on a judicial code of conduct, which they recognize will be helpful tool in garnering public trust. CEELI has worked with the judges to create relevant working groups, and...

Judges and the Media

By Lauriane Labourel / November 29, 2016

An increasingly important aspect of the CEELI Institute’s continuing engagement with judiciaries across the region involves exploration of the relationships between the judiciary and the media. Discussions and materials addressing this topic is in high demand among judges who are faced with increasing media pressures, especially while handling political sensitive cases and high level corruption cases. Judges must also increasingly negotiate the potential pitfalls surrounding the use of social media platforms. Judges are concerned about their rights to privacy in an age of increasing media attention, and are also unclear on where the boundaries should be set in dealing with the press. They are also challenged in balancing the public’s interest against the rights of the parties before the court....

Promoting Judicial Independence in Central and Eastern Europe

By Lauriane Labourel / November 29, 2016

As part of our continuing engagement with the judiciaries from across the Central and East European region, the CEELI Institute recently co-sponsored an event, in cooperation with the Supreme Court of Macedonia addressing the ongoing challenges to judicial independence across the region—both within and without the EU. The program, held in late October, at Lake Ohrid, drew over 70 participants, including judges from Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia. The event provided a critically important platform for judges to exchange views and experiences in how best to respond to increasing external pressures on the judiciary. Particular attention was devoted to how judges can most effectively cope with pressures from the media, from the government...

Supporting Judges on the Front Lines in Combating Terrorism

By Lauriane Labourel / November 28, 2016

In October, the CEELI Institute continued its ongoing efforts to support judges in countries on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, with support from the US Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau. This latest program brought together judges from the Middle East and North Africa--specifically, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon--along with judicial counterparts from the US and Germany for the intensive three day exchange on useful practices for judges faced with adjudicating cases involving terrorism and national security issues. Our program curriculum again followed the format we developed for previous trainings provided to judges and prosecutors in the Western Balkans, relying on The Hague Memorandum on Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses, a Good Practice...

Justice Kennedy Joins CEELI/IBA Event

By Lauriane Labourel / October 6, 2016

The CEELI Institute was delighted to join with the IBA in hosting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on September 23, in Washington, DC, at the IBA Rule of Law Forum. CEELI Institute Founder and Board Chair Homer Moyer moderated a discussion with the Justice on issues related to the role of the judiciary, the meaning of the Rule of Law, and the application of international law as a reference point for the Court. The Justice also took questions from the audience. It was an inspirational and informative session, and we were thrilled to be a part of it.

NGOs as Judicial Watchdogs: A New Report and Recommendations

By Lauriane Labourel / September 29, 2016

The CEELI Institute is gratified to have participated in the preparation of a landmark effort to promote and define the role of NGOs in monitoring court proceedings and the function of the judiciary. The final project report, NGOs and the Judiciary: Watchdog Activities, Interactions, Collaboration, and Communication, was recently published by the Warsaw based Polish NGO, the Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS). The publication represents the culmination of a two-year effort, funded by the International Visegrad Fund (www.visegradfund.org) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The CEELI Institute was one of six key NGOS contributing to this effort, along with counterparts in Poland, Slovakia, Albania, Macedonia and Serbia. The report establishes key recommendations and good...

CEELI at The Hague: An Update on CEELI Judicial Tools

By Lauriane Labourel / September 29, 2016

CEELI Institute Executive Director Christopher Lehmann and Judge Cristi Danilet from Romania recently led a panel at the Annual Conference of the International Association of Administrative Courts (IACA) held in the The Hague in May, where they were asked to present the CEELI Institute’s The Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of Justice. The Manual is a unique tool, representing a systematic survey of virtually all relevant international standards applicable to the function, performance and operation of the judiciary. It cross-references over 130 international conventions and other sources of public international law, organizing relevant sources according to thematic categories of interest and use to judges in their work. The tool is, in short, a map to the judicial profession and...

US and Pakistani Judges Meet at the CEELI Institute

By Lauriane Labourel / September 29, 2016

The CEELI Institute was delighted to recently welcome our first-ever delegation from Pakistan. In late August, the US Embassy in Islamabad (INL), the US Department of Justice (OPDAT) and the US Federal Judicial Center organized a joint exchange at the Institute bringing together Judges of the Lahore High Court (Punjab Province) and the US federal judiciary for several days of in-depth dialogue on issues of case management and court administration. Among those participating in the discussions was Federal Judicial Center Director, Judge Jeremy Fogel.

Belgrade: The 2016 Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe

By Lauriane Labourel / September 29, 2016

The CEELI Institute was delighted to again support the work of the Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, which was hosted in June of this year, in Belgrade, by the Supreme Cassational Court of Serbia. The Conference is now a self-sustaining body that has met annually since its inception in 2011, allowing the Chief Justices to discuss common challenges, share ideas and work towards solutions. This year saw two additional signatories—Serbia and Georgia-- to the Conference’s Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary, known now as the Brijuni Statement (due to its original drafting and signing in 2015 at the Croatian seaside town of Brijuni). That statement reaffirms regional commitments to judicial independence and the...

Belgrade: CEELI supports this year’s Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe

By Lauriane Labourel / July 21, 2016

The CEELI Institute we delighted to support this year’s Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, held in Belgrade on June 20-22, and hosted by the Supreme Cassational Court of Serbia. The Conference of Chief Justices is a self-sustaining organization whose members lead the judiciaries of twenty-three nations from the Baltic Sea to the Caucasus. The Conference meets annually in one of the member countries to address the many common challenges faced by the Chief Justices in improving their countries’ judiciaries, promoting judicial independence, strengthening integrity and accountability, improving court management, fighting corruption, and building public support for the courts. The CEELI Institute has been honored to support the work and mission of the Conference since its inception...

CEELI Institute Annual Meeting 2016 Wrap-Up

By Lauriane Labourel / July 14, 2016

The Villa Grébovka was packed with friends and colleagues from around the world for the Institute’s Annual Meeting on June 26th-28th, 2016. Board members, faculty, donors, former CEELI alums, and many more friends and colleagues came together in Prague for an opportunity to review our efforts over the past year, and to look ahead to programs for the coming year. This year’s meeting focused particularly on the ongoing challenges involved in delivering assistance in environments that are experiencing deliberate repression of civil society. Attention was given not just to the problems, but to possible solutions, including examination of effective strategies for delivering development assistance and supporting civil society in the face of hostile environments and government repression. We were particularly...

Promoting Good Practices for Terrorism Adjudication in the Balkans

By Lauriane Labourel / July 14, 2016

In June, the CEELI Institute continued its efforts on a multi-year program to engage judges handling complex cases involving issues of terrorism and national security, including the increasingly serious threats posed in Europe by the transit of foreign terrorist fighters. The program, which aims to promote understanding and use of relevant international “good practices” for judges on these matters, including particularly the Global Counter-terrorism Forum’s (GCTF) Hague Memorandum Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses, convened a group of 21 judges from the Western Balkans for a 3-day session form June 15-17. Judges from Albania, Bosnia electrax crack and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, as well as prosecutors from Macedonia, were present at the session which...