Judicial systems are essential for resolving not only legal problems but also crucial economic and social issues in society. However, many judicial systems are struggling. There are many reasons for these difficulties: politicians all over the world question the principle of the separation of powers that guarantees the necessary independence of the judiciary; judicial systems are criticised for their lack of efficiency and their disconnection from reality; civil society is not always aware of the means of obtaining independent and efficient justice; reforms of the administration of courts do not reach the expected results, in some cases they undermine core judicial values, while in other cases reforms are necessary but the political or judicial will is not there. The use of artificial intelligence offers interesting potential for development, but it can also be very disruptive for the administration of justice. Two key issues then emerge: how to pursue judicial reforms and innovation capable of improving efficiency and effectiveness while empowering fair trial and the rule of law, and how to protect core judicial values and institutional arrangements from intentional and unintentional nefarious consequences of reforms.

The 2025 edition of the JAR-Association Conference will address the challenges encountered by judicial systems, in their methods of court administration, their human resources, in the relations between the judicial system and litigants, in their relations with political powers and the other branches of the state. The difficulties encountered in the implementation of reforms – legal, managerial, procedural, technological – will be discussed. At the same time, the Conference will investigate the possibility of carrying out reforms and innovations in a truly strategic, concerted and evaluated manner for the different actors involved. These topics also call for a longitudinal exploration of how the legacy of the introduced innovations affect the functioning and evolution of the justice systems in the long run.

Proposed (illustrative) themes:

- Judicial administration and policymakers

- Conducting reforms/innovations and judiciaries

- User-centred justice

- Access to justice, victims and justice seekers

- Judicial digitisation, judicial administration and court users

- Artificial Intelligence, judicial administration and court management

- ADR and ODR: practices and long-term impacts on the delivery of justice

- Judicial politics

- Judicial systems and civil society

- Media and justice

Proposals on how reforms and new innovations impact judicial systems, their administration, the practices of judicial actors and the perception of judicial systems by users are encouraged. Suggestions on successful reforms and innovations, or those that are not, are also welcomed.

We encourage proposals on topics that have not yet been covered in our online scientific events programme (https://jar-association.eu/past-events/), or that enrich or provide a different perspective on topics that have already been under discussion.

Type of proposals:

1. Paper presentation: a 400-600 words paper abstract
2. Panel proposal: a 400-600 words description of the panel, topics that would be addressed in individual papers, and panellist names
3. Workshop: a 400-600 words description of the topic that will be discussed, names of those who will lead and be involved, and details of the way in which the workshop will be conducted.

Submission and selection process:

The proposals should be submitted to organiser@jar-association.eu by 28 February 2025.

Selected papers and panels will be announced by 14 March 2025.

All presented papers will be considered for inclusion in a proposed special edition of the International Journal for Court Administration.

The conference is planned as a two-day event within the 11-13 June 2025 period, with exact dates to be confirmed by mid-March 2025.

There will necessarily be a Conference fee, but it will be as low as possible. The JAR Conference held in 2023 had a Conference fee of 75 Euro for JAR-A members and 90 Euro for non-members.