Online Dispute Resolution: Law’s Future in the Digital Age

Today, conventional legal practices coexist with technology-driven legal services. In the legal world, as in so many aspects of human life, digitalisation is the future and the future is now.

Online Dispute Resolution looks at one aspect of the fundamental changes that the digital revolution has brought and will bring to the provision of legal services. Written by Dr Max Barrett, a judge of the High Court of Ireland, the book considers how, to an increasing extent, a worldwide revolution in dispute resolution is unfolding with many legal disputes now being resolved remotely by way of online dispute resolution. And it proceeds on the basis that, as part of that global ‘resolution revolution’, courts as we have known them are destined to be consigned to history’s cabinet of curiosities as public justice systems turn to offer fair access to a fundamental human right: justice online.

Interested readers will learn about:

• The ongoing transformation of legal services: the book considers how digitalisation is transforming the traditional legal ecosystem, changing the very nature of court-administered justice
• The global revolution in dispute resolution: the book examines the worldwide shift towards online dispute resolution (ODR), emphasising how legal disputes are increasingly being resolved remotely through digital platforms
• The continuing evolution of court systems: the book suggests that traditional court systems are becoming to some extent obsolete as public justice systems transition to online platforms
• The access to justice implications of e-justice: the book explores how ODR ensures broader access to justice as a fundamental human right, making legal resolution more accessible to people regardless of location
• The future of public justice systems: the book provides insights into the future trajectory of public justice systems, highlighting the shift towards digital solutions and the implications presenting as regards the future administration of justice

The book will be of interest to judges, lawyers, court administrators, and anyone with an interest in where the future of court-administered systems of justice likely lies.