Virtual Course on Civil Justice Reform in Latin America

Latin America is currently experiencing an intense civil procedure reform process. Several countries in the region have already reformed aspects of their civil justice systems and others are discussing or designing bills to achieve the same.

The generation of information and discussion of ideas is a fundamental part of making decisions that allow for successful reform processes to be developed. Although a great deal of progress has been made in considering ideas generated through academic discussions and comparative experience, the vision of what constitutes a civil justice reform continues to be limited in many areas.

In that context, this course is designed to provide a non-traditional perspective that addresses challenges that have not been considered in reform agendas. Specifically, this virtual course, which is offered through the e-learning platform CEJACAMPUS, critically analyzes reform processes, and provides comparative and regional information as a form of encouraging reflection about the need to incorporate new lines of action into judicial reform processes.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
  • Recognize the main guidelines that should be considered when designing and implementing civil justice reforms in order to ensure their success.
  • Assess civil justice in the countries of the region, particularly the main characteristics and challenges that they present.
  • Identify noteworthy experiences from the region and elsewhere that enrich the discussion of civil justice reform processes.
  • Critically analyze the reform processes present in their home communities and reflect on the need to incorporate new lines of action.
1.-Guidelines for procedure reform
  • Reform as public policy.
  • Judicial office management.
  • Due process in civil matters.
  • The role of ICTs in judicial reforms.
2.- The use of oral procedures in civil justice
  • Quality information as a requirement for the use of oral procedures.
  • The treatment of evidence at oral trial.
  • The use of oral procedures in the preparatory stage.
  • Conciliation methodology.
3.- Civil sentence execution systems
  • The need for effective civil sentence execution.
  • Sentence execution in Latin America.
  • Organic sentence execution models in Europe.
  • The executor in comparative experience.
4.- Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
  • Overview of the use of ADR in Latin America.
  • Specific experiences in the region.
  • ADR and justice reforms.
  • Evolution of the concept of alternative mechanisms in the judicial process.
The suggested course calendar is presented below:
  • Introduction to the e-learning platform: May 3-9
  • Module 1: May 10-16 (contents and evaluation)
  • Module 2: May 17-23 (contents and evaluation)
  • Module 3: May 24-30 (contents and evaluation)
  • Module 4: May 31- June 6 (contents and evaluation)
  • Final paper: June 7-20 (5 to 10 pages)
  • Grades and Certification: June 21-30
The above notwithstanding, the instructor will publish the course contents and information about the assessments and final paper on the first day of the course (24 hours). This will allow students to adjust the course activities to their personal and professional schedules.

Students should complete the multiple choice assessments upon completing each module. Students should complete the final paper after finishing 4 modules and the respective assessments.

Each assessment has 10 questions, and 1 point will be awarded per question. The maximum score is thus 10 points. The final paper will be graded as “fail,” “pass” or “outstanding” based on the evaluation guidelines that will be distributed in advance.
The cost of the course is US$100 (one hundred US dollars). Once you have registered using the electronic form, you will receive an email with payment instructions. You will have two payment options:
  • Payments completed outside of Chile: Online payment using a link to a credit card in dollars.
  • Payments completed within Chile: Online payment using Red Compra or a credit card.

Discounts
  • Individual early registration:* 25% discount (final price of US$75)
  • Group early registration:** 40% discount (final price of US$60)
  • Institutions:*** 50% discount (final price of US$50)

*Through March 31, 2021.
** 4 or more people.
*** 10 or more people.
This virtual course is designed for professionals involved with civil justice reform processes. They may work for public institutions such as the judiciary, Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, or other state agencies; academic entities such as universities or institutes; or civil society organizations in general. The course is also open to individuals who work in the private sector.
Students who wish to receive virtual certification for the course may do so if they have passed the assessments at the end of each module and received a passing grade on the final paper.

The certification will be granted for 48 classroom hours. The certification will only be distributed digitally and will indicate the dates of the course and whether or not the student passed the course. It will also describe the course contents.

Students who earn an average grade of 70% on the assessments for each module and pass the final paper will pass the course. Certificates will differentiate between students who have passed and outstanding students:
  • Average grade of 7 to 8.9 on the assessments and paper assigned grade of “pass” or “outstanding”: Pass.
  • Average grade of 9 to 10 on the assessments and paper assigned grade of “outstanding”: Outstanding.
For more information, contact: Pablo Cantillana pablo.cantillana@cejamericas.org