The National Center for State Courts released its 2020 Trends in State Courts this month. One article highlights access to justice via ODR in Ohio. The article “Access Empowers: How ODR Increased Participation and Positive Outcomes in Ohio” (PDF) covers the experience of Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus.
Read more…Category Archives: Small Claims
Matterhorn at the Ohio Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Conference
Matterhorn customers Veronica Cravener and Alex Sanchez are speaking this morning at 10:15 on “Court-Connected Online Dispute Resolution: Enhancing Access to Civil Justice”.
Video: Court-Connected Online Dispute Resolution at the Franklin County Municipal Court
Staff at the Franklin County Municipal Court and City of Columbus (Ohio) share their experience with Matterhorn online dispute resolution for small claims.
Court-Connected Online Dispute Resolution Video: Resources Saved, Justice Served
Learn more about court-connected online dispute resolution via a one-hour video, an archive of a webinar held January 18, 2018. The video covers the Franklin County Municipal Court’s use of Matterhorn online dispute resolution for small claims cases.
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NCSC Research: The Truth about Civil Caseloads
The National Center for State Courts’ December 2017 Trends: Close Up reminds us the truth about civil caseloads.
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Ohio State Bar recognizes Franklin County for Judicial Innovation
Alex Sanchez and Veronica Cravener accepted the Ohio State Bar Association’s 2017 Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee Innovative Court Practices Award on behalf of the Franklin County Municipal Court Online Dispute Resolution Program.
OSBA recognizes the Franklin County Municipal Court for Judicial Innovation
COLUMBUS — (August 31, 2017) The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) today announced that the 2017 recipient of the Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee Innovative Court Practices Award is the Franklin County Municipal Court Online Dispute Resolution Program.
OSBA President Randall Comer presented this year’s award before a roomful of judges at the annual meeting of the Ohio Judicial Conference in Columbus. Alex Sanchez, who manages the program, and Veronica Cravener, the Small Claims and Dispute Resolution Supervisor accepted the award on behalf of the Court.
The Franklin County Municipal Court Online Dispute Resolution Program is powered by Matterhorn.
Read more on the OSBA website.
Franklin County Small Claims Online Resolution at NAJIS
At the National Association of Justice Information Systems 2017 Conference? Today, Alex Sanchez will speak on Franklin County, Ohio’s success with Matterhorn.
Improving Community Safety & Satisfaction
Captain Carl Trowbridge, Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office; Alex Sanchez Esq., Manager, Franklin County, Ohio, Municipal Court, Small Claims Division and Dispute Resolution Department
Justice agencies in Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio are transforming their community from the inside out. In this session, practitioners from the Sheriff’s Office and the Municipal Court will share how technology is helping to better-inform citizens of their decisions and be more responsive to citizen’s needs. You will learn how the Sheriff is using objective classification to guide housing and programming decisions, help inmates transition back into the community, and to reduce the cycling of people through their doors. At the Municipal Court, a new online dispute resolution system is providing citizens with a way to negotiate and resolve disputes – at no cost – while saving time and eliminating the need to appear in court. Join us to hear how each of these agencies is improving justice by putting technology to work for the citizens of Franklin County.
Franklin County Small Claims Resolution with Matterhorn featured in Norwegian Judicial Magazine
The magazine of the Norwegian Judiciary, Rett på Sak, wrote about Matterhorn’s successful small claims resolution in Franklin County, Ohio. Franklin County includes Ohio’s state capital Columbus and its surrounding area.
Benefits of Small Claims Resolution
According to Alex Sanchez, manager of the small claims and dispute resolution department at Franklin County Municipal Court,
“The direct results of the platform are more cases resolved prior to [main hearing]….
The biggest benefit to the parties is that they can resolve their case without setting aside time to come to court….
By providing one more avenue for case resolution, courts can dedicate time and resources to other projects and cases.”
How has Matterhorn been received? Alex Sanchez says,
“We received compliments from parties on the very first day the platform launched….Our court users have found our ODR negotiation platform easy to use and are appreciative of the time it saves.”
More about Franklin County’s Small Claims Resolution
The article’s authors, Colleen Anderson and Travis Peterson, are students in a joint program at the University of Toledo, Ohio, and the Folkeuniversitet i Trondheim (University of Trondheim).
The full issue of Rett på Sak can be found online on the Norges Domstoler (Judiciary of Norway) website. The magazine is available as a PDF and the article about us (in English!) is on pages 26-27.
We are thrilled by the continuing international and national interest in Matterhorn (including the recent presentation at the International ODR conference in Paris). We are particularly pleased that the users of the system find it valuable.