In this chapter, Roger Quick highlights that the investment in online courts (OC) in England and Wales came about because of:

• an appreciation by government that the design, construction and ongoing operation of the OC would be considerably cheaper than the continued operation of traditional physical courts,
• an appreciation that traditional physical courts are not coping with minor civil disputes; and
• impeding access to justice with adverse consequences for the rule of law is increasingly shared with other jurisdictions.

Since ODR is a very large and fast-growing topic not just in England and Wales, but also internationally, the chapter is confined in this way because:

• it is possible to give the reader a short but satisfactory introduction to the history of ODR and OC.
• the reforms in England and Wales which include ODR and OC will, on present projections, conclude by the end of 2025; and
• the results of the reforms are likely then to be of both national and international interest.

This chapter is divided into six parts:

• Introduction: at [140.15]
• Glossary: at [140.20]
• Relevant Concepts as to Online Courts: at [140.25]
• The Obstacles to CCSR in England and Wales: at [140.30]
• The CCSR and the Online Court: at [140.40]
• Events since the CSSR: at [140.45]

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Quick On Costs by author Roger Quick examines the law of costs, contemporary issues impacting on traditional costs law and a comparative evolution of costs law in Australia and England. It reviews the principles and practices of costs law applied in the Supreme Courts of the States and Territories, the Federal, Family and High Courts of Australia and the English High Court.

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