Case Event And Service Management

How courts schedule and manage their dockets affects the amount of adjudication space allocated. Effectively managed calendars and flexible scheduling of unassigned courtrooms has a significant impact on the efficient use of space. Not all events in the life of a case require the use of a traditional in-person courtroom, which can be quite large. Further space use refinement can be done using the concepts derived from Differentiated Case Management and Case Triaging practices.

Differentiated case management (DCM) is a technique courts use to tailor the case management process and the allocation of judicial system resources to the needs of individual cases. DCM is the precursor to case triage as different cases are assigned to different tracks based upon case type and complexity. Case triage is a more aggressive form of case management that involves the court staff and the litigants. By informing litigants early in the process of alternative tracks and processes, the litigant can choose which method to pursue before the case even begins. Once the case is filed, the court can direct the litigant to the best method for efficient case processing.

Greater numbers of self-represented litigants are using the courts. Technology can assist courts in informing litigants of the rules, processes, costs, timelines, and procedures ahead of time so that litigants and courts can make this more streamlined process effective with the appropriate information available to litigants. Proactive case management can help identify the best environment for the case event or services to occur. Economies of scale may drive a court's ability to differentiate these spaces. However, these fundamental case management practices allow for:

More coordination with justice partners Reductions in the need for large capacity spaces Increasing the Court's ability to schedule use of space