Transparency in the Civil Justice System

The RAND Corporation Institute for Civil Justice and UCLA are presenting a conference tomorrow: Transparency in the Civil Justice System.

Researchers at the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and UCLA School of Law are collaborating on an analysis of the issue of transparency, both its advantages and disadvantages, in many aspects of the civil justice system. The following questions guide their research:

• Are there specific examples of problems in the civil justice system that might have been avoided if the system were more transparent? What are the risks associated with too much transparency?


• How can the civil justice system balance the value of privacy with the value of transparency?


• What mechanisms are involved in providing greater transparency? What are the costs, and who pays them?


• Will greater transparency improve the civil justice system? Is it likely to improve accountability and increase public confidence?


• Are there examples of reforms that have led to greater transparency? Have they affected outcomes in the system? Have they improved efficiency in the system?


• Can plaintiffs and defendants agree on a cohesive vision of increased transparency in the civil justice system?

The papers presented at the Transparency in the Civil Justice System will be collected in a book that will be released at an event on Capitol Hill in Summer 2008.

Sounds interesting!