Welcome back to e-Court Connections. I'd like to take this opportunity to update you on two efforts that I believe will improve the efficiency of our courts and ease the case processing demands on our staff.
The Judicial Branch Office of Mediation and Arbitration (OMA) has been in operation for more than a year now under the direction of attorney Karen Borgstrom. All mediation and arbitration services in every division of the court system are centralized in Karen's office. Karen has been extraordinarily energetic in her efforts to get the word out that these low cost dispute resolution services are available to attorneys and litigants. If more people use these court-run services, we ease the burden on our judges and staff and also free up room on the court calendar to resolve cases that have been backlogged in the system.
A new "business and commercial dispute" docket just signed into law by Governor Lynch will improve our ability to move complex business cases through the Superior Court more efficiently - which will also be a time-saver for staff. A judge, with expertise in these types of cases, will be specially assigned to the "business court," while also hearing other types of cases as needed. Close to 20 other states have this type of "business" court. We hope ours will be up and running before the end of the year.
Over the past few months, Karen and I, and often with Chief Justice Lynn, have met with business leaders around the state to talk about the business court and about the mediation and arbitration choices that are now available through the court system. Both of these efforts guarantee access to fair, efficient and affordable justice for all citizens, whether they want to resolve a small claims complaint or a multi-million dollar corporate lawsuit.
Both of these projects need the support of the court staff to succeed. I am confident that each of you will provide as much help as you can. Thank you for that effort and for all that you do for the citizens of New Hampshire every day.
John T. Broderick Jr. |
