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Use of Juries <br />Jury trials are still seen as the anchor of the state court system, providing the fundamental <br />assurance of justice in criminal and civil cases. The state court system is committed to <br />preserving and protecting the right to a jury trial, but it is also dedicated to reducing the <br />public's reliance on jury trials to resolve disputes. While the absolute number of jury trials <br />has not declined substantially due to an increasing population, the percentage of cases <br />resolved by juries has dropped significantly due to the rise of new approaches to dispute <br />resolution. <br />• The state courts have worked to reduce inappropriate uses of jury trials. In addition to <br />introduction of the case assessment process, the state constitution and statutes have <br />been revised to establish much stricter requirements for the use of a jury trial. For <br />example, the minimum amount in controversy in a civil dispute has been raised to <br />~5,000 (in 1994 dollars). For amounts higher than this statutory minimum, access to a <br />jury trial is not determined by the amount in controversy, but by the issues at stake <br />and/or the rights of the parties involved. In addition, the need for jury trials in <br />criminal cases has been reduced through other dispute resolution methods <br />• The state courts have also worked to make those jury trials that are appropriate more <br />affordable. Smaller juries are commonly used (six as opposed to 12 jurors), reducing the <br />time and expense of empaneling a jury. <br />A Changing Legal Profession <br />The role of attorneys has changed substantially in the multi-option justice system. This is <br />mainly due to the decline af the adversarial model and the rise of new approaches to <br />dispute resolution. While attorneys still maintain a highly visible role as litigators, those <br />who successfully settle matters out of court or without a jury trial are highly regarded by <br />their clients and peers. <br />• [n working as problem-solvers, attorneys have developed new ways of defining and <br />resolving discovery and pleac~ing issues without direct court intervention <br />• The h~gh volume of disputes now processed out of court and the growin~ demand for <br />new kinds of legal services has broadened the scope of the legal profession. Attorneys <br />Fi~ial Vision Tcxt 12 A«g~~st 1994 <br />