Prof Gráinne McKeever, Dr Lucy Royal-Dawson, Dr John McCord and Dr Eleanor Kirk (Ulster) –
This presentation presents findings based on qualitative and quantitative research with personal litigants conducted from September 2016 to September 2017, in civil and family law proceedings in Northern Ireland. Research provides an evidence-based analysis of the reasons why people self-represent and the characteristics of personal litigants, including their socio-demographic profiles, as well as their self-reported general health status. Such profiling of the characteristics of personal litigants in Northern Ireland has never been conducted before. The findings are relevant to the work of the proposed Civil Justice Council and Family Justice Board. Recommendations flowing from the research could help to inform Department of Justice policies on how to ensure personal litigants’ court experiences are human rights compliant and provide practical ways in which the Court Service could respond to the recommendations of the 2017 final report of the Civil and Family Justice Review.
This Seminar took place on 9th May 2018
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Policy Briefing
Presentation