Reimagining Courts

"In their timely and topical book, Reimagining Courts, Victor Flango and Thomas Clarke argue that courts are a victim of their own success. Disputes that once were resolved informally either within the family or within the community are now handled mainly by courts, thus straining government agency resources. The authors offer thought-provoking suggestions for a thorough overhaul of American state and local courts to better fit the needs of a twenty-first-century legal system. Reimagining Courts recommends a triage approach based on case characteristics, litigant goals, and resolution processes. The authors argue that courts must fundamentally reorganize their business processes around the concept of the litigant as a customer. Each proposed adjudication process requires its own case management process and distinct judicial, staff, and facility resources. Reimagining Courts should spark much-needed debate among not only lawyers, judges, and professionals in the court system but also scholars in public administration and political science"--Unedited summary from book cover.