The multi-door courthouse is open in Alberta: Judicial dispute resolution is institutionalized in the Court of Queen's Bench.

摘要

Based on the analysis of the empirical research data from a Survey Questionnaire completed by 374 lawyers and 197 clients who participated in 606 judicially conducted Judicial Dispute Resolution (JDR) sessions (JDR Program) in the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (the Court) in the year ending June 2008, the author's judicial experience, and legal literature research, it is asserted that the Court's JDR Program has become an integral, normative, and institutional part of the resolution of disputes litigated in the Court. This has been achieved through a judicially led process utilizing multi-faceted dispute resolution techniques, with considerable quantitative and qualitative success. All this has led to more demand by lawyers and litigants for the JDR Program, in which these components have, over time, combined in a symbiotic and synergistic way. Thus, it is asserted that the "Multi-door Courthouse" is open in Alberta.