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Self-represented Litigants ~ A Challenge: PROJECT REPORT
8 REPORT ON THE VISIONING WORKSHOP
6 & 7 April 2002
1 The project has broadly proceeded under three main streams:
~ Information;
~ Collaboration; and
~ Innovation.
2 The project has concentrated so far, principally upon the first of those two
objectives. The third phase of the process involves the concept of bringing
together those who could imaginatively contribute to the design of a system
that would be fair, not only to self-represented litigants but also to those
who are represented – a fair go for all.
3 The first part of the process (which became the Visioning Workshop) was an
opportunity for those with vision and imagination to put forward an ideal
system to achieve the above objectives. Those ideas and that plan will be
put before the Court to determine realistically how they might be
implemented.
4 Finally, whatever may have been accepted as the "real" model would be
implemented incrementally in accordance with the Court’s broader
objectives, plans and budget. This third phase would involve necessarily
the recruiting of all relevant stakeholders to the validity of the plans and
objectives.
5 It was hoped that the first part of the process – the Visioning Workshop –
would provide the outlines or a draft blueprint for the Court against which
changes (either brought about by budgetary variations or dictated by
circumstances) could be measured. It was also considered that it would be
a vehicle for change in itself and would provide an impetus towards the
implementation of reforms to produce a fairer go for all participants in the
system. To that end the first part of the process was not to be constrained
by the obviously realistic considerations of budget and staffing. The
marrying of the ideal with reality was seen as the function of the second
phase of the program. The third phase would refine that reality to
accommodate the legitimate concerns of those who are stakeholders in the
system.
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