Justice Ministry bill aims to reduce burden in courts

Thousands of legal cases will soon be handled outside of courtrooms and be resolved by lawyers and some by notaries, according to a Justice Ministry bill aiming to decongest Greece's judicial system.

The ministry views unburdening the courts as essential as a World Bank study ranks Greece 146th worldwide in delays in administering justice.

The draft law concerns cases such as registrations and consensual cancellations of mortgages, forming associations (except cultural associations), issuing wills, affidavits and inheritance acceptance, which from now on will be handled by lawyers and notaries (for the last two categories).

"The judges are freed from thousands of cases of a non-judicial nature in order to be able to focus on the administration of justice and, in addition, in this way to decongest the courts and to speed up the their work," Deputy Justice...