Lower Courts across the country will from today, 19th to 23rd July begin the reduction of the backlog of cases through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
This forms part of 2021 ADR Week on the theme: ‘Making Our Courts User-friendly Through the Use of ADR’ and the exercise will be done in a total of 131 lower courts.
The annual ADR programs aim to ensure that access to justice in Ghana is made easier, cheaper, non-adversarial, expeditious, and flexible to all, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
From January to December 2019, a total of 6,209 cases were mediated out of which 3,041 cases were settled, representing 49 percent.
The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), From January to December 2020, mediated a total of 5, 455 cases.
Out of the number, 2,312 were settled, representing a 42 percent settlement rate and the ADR process had been extended to 131 courts nationwide with a total of 635 mediators, at least five assigned to each of the courts, and that Regional ADR Secretariats had been established in ten regions.
Court of Appeal judges Justice Irene-Charity Larbi will address a press conference at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on Monday 19th July 2021, according to the statement, to mark the official opening of the Week.
ADR was instituted in 2005 by the Judicial Service as an intervention to ease pressure on the regular court system and to create a platform that would offer disputants the opportunity to play a key role in resolving their disputes.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the procedure for settling disputes without litigation, such as arbitration, mediation, or negotiation. ADR procedures are usually less costly and more expeditious. They are increasingly being utilized in disputes that would otherwise result in litigation, including high-profile labor disputes, divorce actions, and personal injury claims.
One of the primary reasons parties may prefer ADR proceedings is that, unlike adversarial litigation, ADR procedures are often collaborative and allow the parties to understand each other’s positions. ADR also allows the parties to come up with more creative solutions that a court may not be legally allowed to impose.
Even though Alternative Dispute Resolution is intended to reduce the costs, stress, and formality associated with going to court, many parties still hire attorneys to represent them at ADR proceedings. They also seek out pre-proceeding consultations about possible solutions or strategies. Just as with any legal dispute, you should hire an attorney with experience in your particular legal issue who also is familiar with the collaborative process of ADR.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
