Framing the structure of the court system in the perspective of case management

Abstract

This article explores how court structures of different jurisdictions compare in the context of case management. The jurisdictions under review (Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong), while sharing a common cultural heritage, are from very different legal traditions. Through analyzing the horizontal, vertical and other court structural designs, this article examines the importance of court structure in shaping case management. The article also examines the legal historical roots of each jurisdiction’s civil procedure and explains how its legal tradition impacted on its contemporary case management system.