Reviving the Italian Court System: The Role of Judicial Assistants

Convenor: Alina Ontanu, Assistant Professor, Tilburg Law School, Netherlands

Speaker: Eleonora Ferrari, PhD candidate and research assistant University of Bologna, Italy

“This presentation explores the impact of judicial assistants in Italy and their potential role in reducing case backlogs and managing court workload. The research addresses the challenges of measuring their effectiveness, considering the various factors at play, including the recent introduction of their roles. Findings are based on interviews with judges, court presidents, clerks, and judicial assistants, and the study also includes a comparison with practices in other countries to provide insights into how judicial assistants can contribute to revitalizing the Italian court system.”