Abstract
This chapter is a first attempt at identifying the autonomous legal development of Latin American legal systems beyond the context of legal origins theory. I submit four salient points for further discussion. First, court efficiency is actually in the eye of the beholder when the debate is about the concept of access to justice. Second, many of Latin America’s national legal systems have been fragmented as a result of the pluralities of co-existing norm systems and of different methodological approaches. Third, the “failed law” discourse of Latin America’s institutions is problematic. Finally, perspectives and the scope of further judicial development will depend on the concepts and practices of law and law making in Latin America.
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Ahrens, H. (2014). Access to Justice in Latin America: Challenges to Classifying Legal Development in the Region. In: Schmiegelow, M., Schmiegelow, H. (eds) Institutional Competition between Common Law and Civil Law. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54660-0_8
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