In January, Ireland’s new Commercial Court was opened. It’s basically a high-tech, process-reengineered version of the High Court. It shows how traditional insitutions can be improved and made fulfill their purpose better.

According to a report last week in the Irish Times, the new court is working very well and saving a lot of time for the people who use it.

At the moment, the court only hears cases worth one million euros or more. There’s no reason though, why the same principles couldn’t be applied in many other types of cases.

It’s a great idea. Anyone who has been involved with the courts system knows that the worst thing is how long everything takes. It’s very hard to keep focus when months or even years pass between the various stages of an action. A lot of time is obviously wasted by procedural issues and missing documents. Anything which makes things happen faster is a big help and makes things a little less expensive.