Conciliation in civil and administrative proceedings as a way to optimize caseload

The Russian judicial system holds a central position today in guaranteeing adherence to law and order and protecting the rights of individuals and companies. One of the most pressing issues that has a significant impact on the efficiency and quality of justice is the high caseload of judges. This situation both demands diligence from the judges and has a direct bearing on the quality of civil and administrative proceedings, which shall be fair, prompt, and accessible to the entire society. In a world where the number of administrative cases and civil disputes increases daily and legal relations become more complex, the balance between the caseload of judges and the quality of proceedings is becoming increasingly important. The high caseload of judges results in several detrimental effects, including procedural formalism, longer trials, lower attention to detail, and subsequent errors in judgement. These problems shatter public trust in the judicial system and cast doubt on whether fundamental legal tenets, such as adversarial proceedings, equality of arms, legality, and fairness are truly being upheld. This paper discusses the general approach to conciliation in civil and administrative proceedings as a way to optimize the caseload of judges in the Russian Federation and the impact of the relative procedures on the quality of proceedings. It also analyzes the reasons for the high caseload of courts, the consequences for parties to the proceedings, and possible solutions. The paper addresses measures that help optimizing the litigation, including the introduction of advanced technologies, alternative dispute resolution methods, and the improvement of the legal framework.