People should have incentives to settle cases out of court through mediation to reduce court delays, according to the law students’ association.

In a recommendation document about justice reform, GħSL said higher court fees would encourage people to reach out-of-court settlements.

The students also focused on the importance of training members of the judiciary to specialise in particular areas.

In addition, they suggested a system of internships with judges and magistrates for doctorate students wanting to prepare themselves for such a role.

GħSL also said the courts should be modernised by introducing digital filing.

The students presented their recommendation document to Justice Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici, who thanked them for their contribution.

Dr Bonnici was particularly struck by the emphasis on mediation.

He said this was an innovative proposal but stressed that court fees should not impinge on access to justice for all, which was one of the Government’s priorities in the justice sector.

Dr Bonnici said the country was now in a historically unique position of having the recommendations of all stakeholders, including the judiciary, the Attorney General and the Chamber of Advocates.

The Justice Reform Commission headed by Judge Giovanni Bonello will submit its final recommendations to the Government in October after analysing of all the feedback received, he said.

This would enable the Government to start implementing the main pillars of the reform by the end of the year, in line with the Labour Party’s electoral pledge.

Dr Bonnici said members of the judiciary were critical of the proposals related to the Commission for the Administration of Justice, which he agreed was “the hardest nut to crack”.

However, he said the judiciary had agreed with the need for more discipline and was simply unconvinced by the details as proposed by the commission.

“I hope that as the process matures, we will reach agreement. We are not that far away,” he said.