"CHICAGO, Dec. 8, 2003 – Even as the volume of legal work has grown steadily in recent years, new data indicate that the number of federal and state trials has declined dramatically since 1962. . . The data speak to a trend that could have long-term implications for the legal system, for the practice of law as we know it, and for the public. Will the decrease in trials pose a long-term threat to the fair and impartial administration of justice? Or are new methods of resolving disputes satisfactorily replacing the trial process? Is the increase in the number of arbitrations and mediations equivalent to the decline in the number of trials? Has the decline affected the training of lawyers and judges? Will the courts’ participation in disputes be radically changed?"
Comments: This press release is based on a report entitled “The Vanishing Trial: An Examination of Trials and Related Matters in Federal and State Court,” prepared by Marc Galanter, professor of law at the University of Wisconsin.
Also, since more case are being settled before trial the quality and extent of pretrial discovery and organization is critical to a favorable outcome to your clients.
