Quality Management in Courts Bert Maan

What is quality? Two sorts of quality: – Legal quality – Quality as organisation Internal external

Quality as organisation To what extent is the organisation able – to perform its function – to fulfil its mission

Organisation Public Expectations – Speed – Efficiency – Behaviour and attitude – Information

Courthouse Identity Opening hours Security Showing the way Waiting rooms Waiting time

Services Availability of tea/coffee; Phones Registries Toilets PM: The evaluation of quality is the difference between the performance and the expectation.

Human resources Selection Training and education Personal development – career

Combination Legal task Public organisation Expectations by the public Well functioning of judges and staff

Control through an integrated system. EFQS or INK – or similar

Leadership Should not be too far away Should be consistent Should be supported by organisation

Links Between strategy and leadership; Influence on employees at court Influence on required tool Control of the processes Assessment Final result Learn and improve

Measuring MWO (employees survey) Customer survey Comments evaluation by society – Stakeholders – Media

In court Speed and consistence are part of quality – Registering incoming cases and output – Duration of pending cases – Efficiency

Organisational quality – Performance Management information each month – Incoming cases; – Finished cases » Withdrawn » Settled » Interlocutory judgement » Final judgement

Legal quality Who determines? – Colleagues – Lawyers – Parties – Complaints – Media – Appeal court

Methods Conferences with lawyers Meetings to discuss Jurisprudence Own cases in appeal

Behaviour Training staff – (How to deal with angry people) Intervision Sitting with three judges Role of ushers

Legal quality – Monitoring through Advocates Publication (rechtspraak.nl) Complaints Media Appeals/cassation

Ensuring quality – Case-law discussion – Presentations – Internal training/education; – Permanent education SSR – Intervision – Courses elsewhere

Human resources policy-tools – periodic interview head of section – annual talks with court president – promotion – personal file

Quality - risks Identify risks: judge alone/single judge Information on judges – Level of cooperation – Clerk/ judicial assistant – Report misbehaviour (informal)

What to measure Average duration; Management of old cases Percentage appeals Number of complaints Number of impartiality challenges

Measuring qualıty court MWO (employees survey) Customer survey Comments evaluation by society – Stakeholders – Media

Recommendations Keywords – Control – Management information – Quality of human resources – Public dimension – Leadership – Professionality

Result Using the tools, you wil obtain: – Management information; – Integrated human resources policy – Information about quality – Outcome of customer review – Result of employee review – Annual reporting

Trust Management of expectatıons In order to gain or maintain the confidence of society, transparency is the key word: – Say what you do – Do what you say – Show that you do what you say

Questions/observations? Teçukkur ederim!