Summarized results of questionnaire performed among clients of the Supreme Court last year show that 77% of lawyers – prosecutors, advocates, assistants to advocates and authorized persons touching the work of the Supreme Court in proceedings, are satisfied with it. It proves conclusion that members of society or court clients who really came in touch with court work, evaluate it significantly more positively than others.

Evaluating the Supreme Court clients’ inquiry data in details, the most positive assessment was given by lawyers about attitude of employees of the Supreme Court towards visitors – in general, 84% evaluate it as “good” or “rather good”, and work of court employees has been evaluated as “good” or “rather good” by 83% of lawyers.

In their turn, terms of review of cases in the Supreme Court are evaluated the most negatively 29% evaluated them as “very bad” and 28% more – as “bad”. Only 11% evaluate them positively.  Relatively big part of respondents – 24% - also evaluates availability of case-law of the Supreme Court negatively.

The Supreme Court clients’ inquiry took place since August till October 2011 with goal to clarify clients’ evaluation of organization and quality of court work. Questions on following fields of work of the Supreme Court were included in research: satisfaction with court work in general, evaluations of court work in different aspects and of court work organization, court employees’ work, court documentation and court rulings.

Court clients were divided into two parts: representatives of society and lawyers. Representatives of society were persons involved in case and participating in court proceedings – a party, victim, witness. Lawyers are sworn advocates, prosecutors, authorized persons.  

In order to perform assessment of work of the Supreme Court, research made by Latvian Judicial Training Centre in 2010 was adapted. In its turn, this research is based on experience of the Board of Justice of the Netherlands. Research was implemented by the Administration of the Supreme Court in cooperation with research agency “Fieldex” to process and analyze research data and to prepare final report.

Six structural units of the Supreme Court participated in the inquiry. These were the Department of Civil Cases, the Department of Criminal Cases and the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate; the Chamber of Civil Cases, the Chamber of Criminal Cases and Document Administration Division. These are structural units keeping in touch directly with participants of proceedings in routine work.  

 

 

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 67020396, 28652211