JUSTICE invites applications for our Spring 2017 externship programme. This is an unpaid remote-working internship, lasting up to 6 weeks with a total commitment of 10 – 15 hours. The successful applicants will work remotely on a research project looking at digitising the existing court and tribunal model in the UK and will be supervised via Skype, phone and/or email by members of JUSTICE’s policy staff. The externship will provide the opportunity to develop research and drafting skills, to play a role in our work and to be part of a small, friendly and committed staff.
Given the nature of the work, applications are sought from law graduates from a UK university only. This includes people who expect to have completed a law degree or GDL, are a postgraduate student, or are a CILEX graduate by the time they start work on their externship.
The research externships will inform the development of an upcoming JUSTICE project titled Strengthening 21st Century Justice. The Ministry of Justice and senior judiciary plan to “automate and digitise the entire process of civil money claims by 2020”, and the “interactive triage” role envisaged for litigants-in-person using the “Online Court” for certain civil and criminal proceedings. Lord Justice Briggs’ Final Civil Courts Structure Review report emphasised that ensuring access to digital justice was one of the biggest concerns about digitisation of court processes. It has been estimated that 70 per cent of the UK population will need some kind of support to use an online court system.
We will shortly commence work to establish a Working Party of our members and technological, disability and language experts in the Autumn to review how people accessing online services in a range of fields can be better assisted; to identify the necessary features of simple and accessible online interfaces; and the support required for users with differing needs. We will make practical recommendations to ensure that necessary support is an integral feature of the digital justice system and continue to work with the reform programme to instil a user focussed approach.”
JUSTICE needs to understand what alternatives have already been tried in other jurisdictions and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. To that end, JUSTICE would like the successful applicants to identify and summarise existing research in other jurisdictions, one in relation to the civil justice system, and one in relation to the criminal justice system.
Please see our vacancies page for full information on how to apply. The deadline is 5 pm on Friday 17 March 2017.