Our underfunded court system

Most of us don't think about our court system very much. It's just there. We don't like to think about it because most of us don't like to think about conflict (unless we are watching slick courtroom dramas on TV.)

Just think though if we did not have a court system. Chaos! Self-help! More violence!

North Carolina's leadership in mediation has helped its court system function as well as it does.

This is from Judge W. David Lee, chair of North Carolina's Dispute Resolution Commission:

When money is scarce, our courts often “feel the pinch”, as well. ... Just like our citizens who have been hard hit, our courts must find ways to adapt to our current environment. While our citizens grapple with these economic and related issues, I am convinced that our situation would be worse absent the mediation process.... Beyond our Superior Court’s Mediated Settlement Conference Program and our District Court’s Family Financial Settlement Program, Dispute Settlement Centers operating across our State are successfully mediating thousands of juvenile cases and misdemeanor criminal matters, further reducing the burden on our courts. In addition, those same Centers serve to resolve a wide array of disputes voluntarily brought to them by citizens hopeful of resolving their conflicts short of litigation and court involvement.