1. Specialized Environmental Courts & Tribunals Improved Access to Justice for Those Living in Poverty?by
George (Rock) Pring & Catherine (Kitty) Pring
A University of Denver Study

2. A study-in-progress to determine if and how specialized ECTs improve:
Access to information
Access to public participation
Access to justice
The Goal:
Provide practical guidance for jurisdictions
considering creating a specialized ECT

3. Methodology A global, comparative “Law & Society” research project
Literature review
Site visits to 35 ECTs in 21 countries
Over 100 personal interviews

4. Why Jurisdictions create ECTs
Findings
Why Jurisdictions create ECTs
Efficiency
Economy
Expertise
Access to Justice
Case Processing
Commitment
Flexible Solutions
Public Participation
Public Confidence

5. The 12 Basic Elements (“Building Blocks of Best Practices”)
Type of body
Legal Jurisdiction
Level of Review
Geographic Coverage
Case Volume
Standing
Specialized Prosecutors
Expert Evidence
Enforcement Tools
ADR
Judicial Expertise
Operational Tools

6. The elements improving Access to Justice for those living in poverty
Standing
Special Prosecutors
Expert Evidence
ADR
Operational Tools
Case management
Traveling courts
Simplified Rules of Procedure
Reduced Court Costs

7. Conclusion ECTs enhance access to environmental justice
for those living in poverty by
INCREASING ACCESS
Legal access
Physical access
Affordability access
ADR access
Simplicity of access
Access to information
Access to expert judges
Contact information: