Judicial Administration Reforms in Central-Eastern Europe: Lessons to be Learned

Abstract

While especially in the early communist system judges were pariahs, in post-communism their role was enhanced. Building a rule-of-law state to a certain extent also entails building a lawyers’ state. Law is now one of the most prestigious fields of study; the legal profession is increasingly honoured both financially and in terms of prestige. Still, we can easily find that in Central-Eastern Europe the judiciary is one of the least popular professions among the general public; judges are distrusted, often seen as corrupt (which is usually a false image) and inefficient (which is quite often a correct perception).

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