Oslo District Court

Oslo District Court is located in Oslo Courthouse

Oslo District Court (Norwegian: Oslo tingrett) is the district court serving Oslo, Norway. Cases may be appealed to Borgarting Court of Appeal. As the largest district court in Norway, it handles about 20% of all cases in the country. The court handled 3,000 criminal and 2,200 civil cases, as well as 7,200 summary proceedings in 2007.^[1]

It is led by a chief justice, and has 100 appointed professional and deputy judges. These are divided into eight sections. In addition, the court has 105 administrative employees, of which 30 are in central administration, 59 in judicial-related jobs and 16 in security. These are led by a managing director.^[1]

Oslo is the most frequent user of interpreters of all the courts in the country, accounting for about half the use of interpreters. The most frequent languages are Arabic, English, Somali and Polish. In 2007, 23% of all cases used interpreters. The court also has a witness support program in cooperation with Oslo Red Cross.^[1]

Starting in 1999, the court initiated a court conciliation program to encourage negotiations in civil cases. This allows the parties to find a middle ground they are both satisfied with, without creating winners and losers. At the same time, time and costs are reduced. In 2007, 18% of civil cases participated in the program, and of these 74% settled through the program.^[1]

The court is located in Oslo Courthouse, located in the city center. The building opened in 1994, and also houses the urban district court judge. Borgarting Court of Appeal moved to its own courthouse in 2005.^[2]

Previous names

The previous name of the court, was "Oslo byrett".

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Norwegian National Courts Administration. "The Oslo District Court". http://www.domstol.no/DAtemplates/Article____10538.aspx?epslanguage=NO&otherlanguage=true. Retrieved 31 January 2009. 
2. ^ Norwegian National Courts Administration. "Oslo tinghus" (in Norwegian). http://www.domstol.no/DAtemplates/Article____3977.aspx?epslanguage=NO&otherlanguage=true. Retrieved 31 January 2009.