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67 Buff. L. Rev. 89 (2019)
Expanding Access to Remedies through E-Court Initiatives

handle is hein.journals/buflr67 and id is 97 raw text is: Buffalo Law Review VOLUME 67 JANUARY 2019 NUMBER 1 Expanding Access to Remedies through E-Court Initiatives AMY J. SCHMITZj- ABSTRACT Virtual courthouses, artificial intelligence (AI) for determining cases, and algorithmic analysis for all types of legal issues have captured the interest of judges, lawyers, educators, commentators, business leaders, and policymakers. Technology has become the fourth party in dispute resolution through the growing field of online dispute resolution (ODR), which includes the use of a broad spectrum of technologies in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution processes. Indeed, ODR shows great promise for expanding access to remedies, or justice. In the United States and abroad, however, ODR has mainly thrived within e- commerce companies like eBay and Alibaba, while most public courts have continued to insist on traditional face-to-face procedures. Nonetheless, e-courts and public ODR pilots are developing throughout the world in particular contexts such as small claims and property tax disputes, and are demonstrating how technology can be used to further efficiency and expand access to the courts. Accordingly, this Article explores these e-court initiatives with a critical eye for ensuring fairness, due process, and transparency, as well as efficiency, in public dispute resolution. t Elwood L. Thomas Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, University of Missouri School of Law. I thank Catherine Picht and Andrew Johnson for their research assistance. I also thank Pamela Foohey, Christopher Bradley, Matthew Bruckner, and Christopher Odinet for their comments as fellow panelists at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools annual meeting.