A Justice of the Court of Appeal who is currently in charge of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR), Justice Irene Charity Larbi, has stressed the need to sustain the ADR mechanism since it was critical in our goal of promoting excellence, speed, and efficiency in judicial administration.
She said the judicial service attached much importance to ADR for which reason in 2005, it created space and the necessary environment to serve the litigating public with all the benefits of ADR to ensure quality justice delivery became real and accessible to all, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
Addressing the media to launch the third quarter ADR Week celebration for the Legal Year term in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Justice Irene Charity Larbi said the ADR had also chalked up some “verifiable and demonstrable” successes over the years to the extent that it was “our expectation that in the years to come to ADR becomes not just a complement to the justice delivery architecture” but rather an easy option for people seeking justice.
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.
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.
A total of 5,455 cases were mediated through alternative dispute resolution in the country in 2020, out of which 2,312, representing 42 percent of the cases, were settled.
Also, From January to December 2019, a total of 6,209 cases were mediated out of which 3,041 cases were settled, representing 49 percent.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
