remedies (lesson 1-13) Flashcards
lesson one
what is the aim of civil law?
- to protect the rights of individuals in society
lesson one
when is fairness achieved?
- when legal processes are in place & all parties recieve an unbiased hearing
lesson one
how is fairness maintained in the civil justice system?
- the d will be given full details of the claim
- the p & the d have the right to be advised & represented
- alternative methods of dispute resolution, such as med. & concil. allow the parties to resolve the dispute themselves as opposed to a decision being made for them
- tribunals are specialized forums of dispute resolution w/o the high costs of courts
- strict rules of evidence & procedure apply to both parties of the civil trial
lesson one
what does equality involve?
- one party being treated the same as the other w/o discrimination
lesson one
how does the legal system provide for both parties to be equal before the law?
- provide for all ppl to be heard & for all ppl to be able to access the legal system w/o barriers that are too difficult to overcome
- any outcome w/n the legal system is based on the law, not on a person’s characteristics, culture, beliefs, social status or gender
lesson one
what is access?
- access to information, support & assistance in order to have civil rights protected
- person’s ability to obtain information & advice in a lang. the party understands
- person’s ability to recieve legal advice
- to be rep. even when the party is financially disadvantaged
- party’s ability to obtain legal advice
- ability to attend court w/n a geographically accessible region
lesson one
what enhances access
- the existence of diff. methods of dispute resolution
- the existence of complaints bodies & websites which provide guidance on rights
- specialised, efficient & effective tribunals
- a court system which involves individual courts, each w/ specific jurisdictions, being arranged into a hierarchy.
lesson two
what is mediation?
- impartial third party (mediator/s)
- do not offer suggestions or give advice
- lawyers can be present
- decision is not legally binding
lesson two
what does the mediator do?
- assisting the parties to discuss their dispute & determine a mutually acceptable resolution b/w themselves
- encourages parties to cooperate & decide on their own solution
lesson two
what are examples of mediation?
- family mediation centre
- dispute settlement
- family court
- sc
lesson two
what is the mediation process?
- introduction
- both sides tell their sides of the dispute & indentify the issues
- med. list the main points
- parties discuss the issues, listen to each other & ask questions
- med. meet w/ each side privately & discuss possible solutions
- all parties & med. meet to negotiate & discuss options of resolution
- agreement is written by mediators
- closing statements
lesson two
what is conciliation?
- impartial 3rd party (conciliator)
- offering suggestions & advice
- lawyers can be present to assist
- decision is not legally binding
lesson two
what does the conciliator do?
- assists the parties to discuss their dispute & offering suggestions & advice to help the parties determine a mutually acceptable resolution b/w themselves
lesson two
what are examples of conciliation?
- consumer affairs vict
- mag c in the pre-hearing stage
- equal opportunity commission
lesson two
are conciliation and mediation always not legally binding?
- not legally binding unless a ‘deed of settlement’ is signed
lesson two
what is arbitration?
- impartial 3rd person (arbitrator)
- 3rd party will make the decision for them = legally bounding
- lawyers often present to assist
lesson two
what are examples of arbitration?
- tribuals = VCAT
- mag c will arbitrate disputes involving disputes for less than $10,00
lesson two
what does the arbitrator do?
- listening to parties & trying to help them reach an agreement
- make decision for parties
lesson two
what is judicial determination?
- resolving disputes traditionally through the courts
- decision handed down = legally binding
- last resort of civil resolution b/c it is expensive & time-consuming nature
lesson two
what do parties present during judicial determination?
- parties present their cases before an indep, impartial 3rd party (judge; mag)
lesson two
what are the strengths of mediation & conciliation?
- informal - strict rules of evidence & procedure are X used
- leg rep = X necessary –> lowers costs
- parties = more satisfied w/ the outcome b/c X imposed by 3rd party
- confidentiality = open & safe environ for discussing issue
- more likely be able to maintain ongoing relationships
lesson two
what are the weaknesses of mediation & conciliation?
- X strict rules of evid & proc.
- if X lawyers chosen t/f parties may not prep. their case in the best way possible
- parties might not come to an agreement
- processes usually voluntary t/f disputes may end up going to court anyway if one party doesn’t want to use the method of dispute reolution
lesson two
why is it that weakness that mediation & conciliation don’t involve strict rules of evidence & procedure?
- it might cause a more knowledgeable or dominating party to intimidate the other party into compromising too much
lesson two
what are the strengths of arbitration?
- dec. = legally binding on all parties
- more informal than lit.
- arb = expertise in resolving these types of matters
- conducted privately & is more flexible than jud det in the way it is conducted
- cheaper than jud det
lesson two
what are the weaknesses of arbitration?
- X always available - used where agreed upon by parties or for use w/ small claims in the mag c or VCAT
- take long time for a dec to be reached if evidence is produced by both parties
- X party control over outcome
- potential to be formal as lit
lesson two
what are the strengths of judicidal determination?
- binding dec that is enforceable in courts
- equal treatment as both sides are subject to laws of evidence & procedure
- dissatisfied parties have opportunity to appeal
lesson two
what are the weaknesses of judicial determination
- expensive
- time consuming - delays mean that a case may take mths or yrs to be heard & then to resolve
- win / lose scenario – leading to animosity b/w parties
- formal & t/f can be intimidating
lesson three
what are tribunals
- are dispute reolution institutions which operate in an informal & generally inexpensive way
- usually quicker than courts & can specialise in particular fields
lesson three
what problems was VCAT created to overcome?
- the high costs of admin
- confusion over which tribunal was the most appropriate to utilise
- the impact of minor civil disputes going before the mc
lesson three
what are the five divisions of VCAT
- civil div
- administrative div
- human rights div
- residential tenancies div
- planning & environ div
lesson three
what are the VCAT fees?
- vary according to the status of the party initiating the matter & the type of matter
.e.g. anti-discrim list = free / civil claim list = $65.30
lesson three
do formal rules of evidence & procedure apply in VCAT?
- no formal rules of evid & procedure do X apply h/w party can give evidence & examine witnesses
lesson three
what behaviour is expected in VCAT?
- respectful
lesson three
is legal rep needed in VCAT?
- leg rep X needed but might be allowed
- it is discouraged b/c leg rep e.g. lawyer = decr accessibility & incr costs
lesson three
what can be used to conduct proceedings in VCAT?
- telephone & video links
- some proceedings can be conducted entirely on the basis of documents –> incr access
lesson three
what happen in VCAT pre-hearing conferences?
- identify & clarify issues
- promote settlement
- identify questions of fact & law
- directions given regarding conduct of hearing
- parties can be referred to mediation
lesson three
where are appeals from VCAT heard?
- heard by the sc (td) or the sc (coa)
lesson four
define ombudsman?
- an official, appointed by the govt to investigate complaints made by individuals against certain bodies or institutions
lesson four
what relevant parliament grants the ombudsman powers by passing a statute?
- the ‘Ombudsman Act 1973 (Vic) was an Act of Parliament, passed by vic parliament, it allows the ombudsman to obtain power to hear & determine complaints
lesson four
broadly what are the two types of ombudsmen?
- government ombudsmen
- industry ombudsmen
lesson four
what does govt. ombudsmen deal with?
- deal w/ disputes / complaints about govt agencies
lesson four
what does the industry ombudsmen deal with?
- deal w/ disputes b/w consumers & businesses in particular industries e.g. telecommunications or public transport
lesson four
what is the role of the ombudsmen?
- to provide indep, timely & accessible dispute resolution services
lesson four
how does an ombudsman address the power imbalance that exists b/w individuals & large companies or govt agencies?
- the ombudsman will only hear complaints from individuals about govt departments / agencies & prescribed private sector organisations (X vice versa) –> helps to overcome power imbal individuals might feel when dealing w/ large companies or govt agencies
lesson four
how does an ombudsman ensure procedural fariness?
- while ombudsman = appointed by the relevant govt they act impartially & indep ensuring procedural fairness
- procedural fairness = ensured by giving parties an opportunity to respond to a complaint & by giving reasons for an decision made
lesson four
what will an ombudsman do firstly?
- the omb will try to resolve the dispute by working w/ the disputing parties
- h/w if agreement = X reached by the disputing parties the omb may have power to make a binding decision on the parties
lesson four
what are examples of government ombudsmans?
- commonwealth omb
- victorian omb
lesson four
what are examples of industry ombudsmen?
- telecommunications industry omb
- fair work omb
- energy & water omb
- public transport omb
lesson four
what complaints does commonwealth ombudsman deal with?
- complaints about govt departments
lesson four
what complaints do telecommunications industry ombudsman deal with?
- complaints about telephone or internet service in aus
lesson four
what complaints does the fair work ombudsman deal with?
- complaints from workers & employers
lesson four
what complaints does the vic ombudsman deal with?
- complaints about vic departments or administrative offices
- does X have power for cases against police or judges
lesson four
what complaints does the energy & water ombudsman deal with?
- complaints about energy & water companies e.g. bills
lesson four
what complaints does the public transport ombudsman deal with?
- complaints about public transport vic, v/line & yarra trams
e.g. tecketing & penalties or conduct of staff