Creating a litigant vulnerability assessment tool: Harnessing judicial expertise in developing technology to reduce or accommodate challenges facing civil litigants

Currently Australian judges commence hearings without knowing the vulnerability (including mental ill health, disability and ESL status) of the parties before them although such knowledge is often critical to achieving a just outcome. This project aims to create a litigant vulnerability assessment tool to provide courts with advance notice of relevant party vulnerabilities enabling better deployment of court resources and fairer judicial determinations.

Judges and court officers are the key stakeholders in this project. This initial phase of the project will investigate judicial interest, develop the theory of litigant vulnerability and assist in attracting external funding to develop a software tool to increase justice and efficiency.