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4 - Dignity in the Courtroom

Judges and Self-Represented Litigants

from II - What Legal Design Can Do

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2024

By
Jennifer Leitch
Edited by
Miso Kim ,
Dan Jackson  and
Jules Rochielle Sievert
Miso Kim
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, Boston
Dan Jackson
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, Boston
Jules Rochielle Sievert
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, Boston
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Summary

This chapter will examine ideas of dignity in the context of proceedings in the Canadian civil justice system with a focus on the role judges can and do play in furthering or degrading notions of dignity in the courtroom. It details the rise of no representation in civil courts and the challenge and trauma that individuals experience throughout the de-dignifying process. It then offers some thoughts on dignity as a concept within the world of self-representation, before detailing the role of the judge in these cases, and the impact different judicial approaches have on litigants without lawyers. It closes by offering proposed reforms to procedures, administration, and the adjudicator’s role that would enhance the dignity of people moving through court systems without the help of a lawyer.

Keywords

access to justiceself-represented litigantsactive adjudicationmeaningful participation
Type
Chapter
Information
Legal Design
Dignifying People in Legal Systems
 , pp. 61 - 73
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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