As of January 1, lawyers, judges, businesses and the public are
being asked to adopt a new approach to settling disputes. In the
event of a dispute, lawyers must now be guided by the principles of
cooperation, negotiation, and solutions adapted to the specific
needs of the parties.
The Quebec government has introduced substantial reforms to
civil procedure following extensive consultations with people
involved in the court system and with citizens and various groups
involved by the management of cases before the courts. The
legislator's intent with this reform is to emphasize dispute
prevention and resolution processes, such as negotiation,
mediation, arbitration, and settlement conferences presided by a
judge. Previously, litigants worked within an adversarial system,
where they would submit their arguments to the court for its
decision. Today, the parties must focus on settlements, cooperate
in managing their disputes, conduct their cases according to target
time
