The Multi-Tasking Judge: Comparative Judicial Dispute Resolution

The Multi-Tasking Judge brings together a series of papers written by international experts in the field of judicial dispute resolution. They arise from an International Research Collaborative (IRC) in Comparative Judicial Dispute Resolution sponsored by the International law and Society Association. By the term “judicial dispute resolution”, the experts refer to the work undertaken by judges to engage in settlement processes for civil litigation, including judicial conciliation and mediation.

A particular focus of the IRC in Judicial Dispute Resolution is surveying judicial activities regarding judicial dispute resolution in a number of countries, reflecting on that information and suggesting trends, aspirations and future developments. Therefore, the jurisdictional inputs in this significant book range from The Netherlands, Canada, the United States, the People’s Republic of China, and Australia. The Chapters describe, analyse and critique the processes and practices used in these diverse environments, positing that the uptake and development of judicial dispute resolution is the result of a complex mix of factors.

This significant book presents important theoretical discussion as well as qualitative and quantitative studies, which consider judicial dispute resolution from a range of perspectives. Importantly, for the future, survey instruments included in the book have been designed by a panel of highly regarded experts that can be used to develop and extend our understanding of this important facet of judicial work.