Perceptions of Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in Local Court Mediation
AbstractRecent socio-legal research has established that people's perceptions of procedural justice affect their satisfaction with, and perceptions of the legitimacy, of court procedures. The author reports that users of an Australian local court connected mediation process view it as a subjectively fair, satisfying and legitimate dispute resolution procedure. The author also examines whether lawyers make a difference to litigants' perceptions of mediation. She concludes that lawyers can make a positive contribution to litigants' perceptions of the justice of mediation and some of the important issues concerning the presence of lawyers in mediation are discussed. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are considered and areas where further research could assist in improving court connected mediation procedures are suggested. |