Civil Dispute Resolution Bill Introduced into Parliament to Force Early Settlement

On 16 June 2010, the Attorney-General Robert McClelland, introduced the Civil Dispute Resolution Bill (the Bill) into Parliament. The Bill's purpose is to promote a move away from the often stressful, expensive adversarial culture of litigation by requiring litigants to take genuine steps to resolve their legal disputes before commencing court proceedings.

Background

The Bill follows on from the Access to Justice (Civil Litigation Reforms) Act 2009 and implements key recommendations made by the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council (NADRAC) in their 2009 report, The Resolve to Resolve. NADRAC is an independent body that provides policy advice on the use and development of alternative dispute resolution.