ABSTRACT
Costs in relation to the courts and court proceedings have three principal ingredients: (a) the costs to government of providing judges and court staff, the court rooms and associated facilities and of keeping the system in operation; (b) the costs to litigants, which mainly comprise court fees and fees paid to lawyers and expert witnesses; and (c) the provision of assistance to some people, to enable them to get legal advice and representation, through government funded legal aid and the support of community legal centres.1
There are many other administrative expenses of government in relation to the law, as for example the maintenance of various tribunals, but these are not part of present considerations.
