XN000022-1993-01-11 — Page 7

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MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1993

ANOTHER. OF

THE TOTAL COST TO THE COMMUNITY IN ONE FORM OR MAINTAINING THE LEGAL SYSTEM WAS ENORMOUS AND CONTINUED TO GROW,

"TWE

OUT OF

MUST BE AWARE AND BE EVER VIGILANT AGAINST A SITUATION DEVELOPING WHERE THE LAW AND LAWYERS SIMPLY PRICE THEMSELVES THE REACH OF THE GROWING NUMBER OF OUR CITIZENS.

THE

"WE

ONLY MUST BEWARE LEST THE LAW BECOMES THE SERVANT OF VERY RICH THE MILLIONAIRES OR THE BIG POWERFUL CORPORATIONS THAT CAN ENGAGE IN LONG AND EXPENSIVE LITIGATION, DRYING UP THE VALUABLE RESOURCES OF THE COURTS IN DISPUTES THAT ARE FREQUENTLY ABOUT ON WHICH

HE SAID. SIDE OF A BALANCE SHEET A PARTICULAR FIGURE SHOULD APPEAR,

11

HE BELIEVED IT TO BE A MATTER OF SOME CONGRATULATION THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY MADE AVAILABLE BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR LEGAL AID HAD RECENT YEARS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.

BUT

LEGAL AID SYSTEM COULD EVER PROVIDE A NO COVER WITHOUT THE COST BEING PROHIBITIVE, HE SAID.

ליו

THE

IN

COMPLETE

LEGAL

GIVE.

PROVIDED

"THE TIME HAS COME, HE SAID, "I WOULD SUGGEST, FOR US TO ANXIOUS CONSIDERATION TO WAYS IN WHICH LEGAL SERVICES CAN BE TO THE COMMUNITY IN A SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE FORM.

"

MR MATHEWS SAID INFORMAL TRIBUNALS HAD A ROLE TO PLAY IN

RESPECT.

THIS

SUCH TRIBUNALS

AS THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL AND THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL WERE

WERE NOT INTENDED TO FUNCTION LIKE NORMAL COURTS AND INTENDED TO BE INFORMAL TRIBUNALS WHERE LAWYERS WERE NOT PERMITTED APPEAR,

SWIFTLY AND WHERE FINANCIAL DISPUTES COULD BE RESOLVED INFORMALLY.

TO

AND

AT

"PERHAPS THE TIME HAS COME FOR THESE TRIBUNALS TO BE LOOKED

TO WHICH AGAIN, TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE INDEED COMMUNITY TRIBUNALS PEOPLE CAN TURN WITH THE READY ASSURANCE THAT THERE WILL BE QUICK INFORMAL DETERMINATION OF THEIR DISPUTES.

AND

"WE

SHOULD ALSO BE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS IN WHICH CASES CURRENTLY MUST GO TO THE COURTS CAN BE DEALT WITH.

WHICH

"WE SHOULD LOOK IMAGINATIVELY FOR POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS QUESTIONS OF COST AND THE ANCILLARY PROBLEM OF DELAYS.

ΤΟ

THE

1+

HE BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS A GOOD CASE FOR PROVIDING AN THE ROUTINE ALTERNATIVE TO THE COURTS IN RESOLVING A GREAT MANY OF CASES THAT CURRENTLY WENT TO THE COURTS AND WHICH HAD TO GO COURTS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OTHER AVENUE FOR REDRESS.

THAT

MEDIATION AND OTHER FORMS OF RESOLUTION COULD BE APPLIED TO MANY ORDINARY PROBLEMS OF THE

НЕ BELIEVED

AND

THAT

THESE

INEXPENSIVE.

FORMS

OF DISPUTE

RESOLUTION COULD

BE

то THE

DISPUTE CITIZENS

SWIFT

AND

/"I SEE