ACCESS TO JUSTICE:

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION, PLEA BARGAIN, & RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Annex 1: Guidelines to contributors

These guidelines contain the following:

1. Background and rationale

2. Target audience
3. Main themes
4. Style guide
5. Submission of manuscript

1. Background and rationale

The goal of achieving efficient, cost effective and speedy dispensation of justice has recently
received a boost in the form of pervasive reforms in Nigeria’s justice delivery system. The
institutionalization of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the practice of Plea Bargain, and
the promotion of the concept of Restorative Justice constitute the tripod on which the new
improved multi-tracked access to justice rests. Hence, numerous procedural laws, rules of
court, and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners now complement the
substantive reforms in expanding access to justice.

SETTLEMENT HOUSE, established in 2005, is a non-court-connected but court-recognized

dispute resolution centre based in Abuja, Nigeria. In keeping with its mission of contributing
to the expansion of access to justice, SETTLEMENT HOUSE has initiated this publication on
Access to Justice: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Plea Bargain, & Restorative Justice.
SETTLEMENT HOUSE believes that a sure way to support the expansion of access to justice is
by the building, sharing and dissemination of knowledge.

In view of the above, it has become expedient to bring together experts, practitioners and
scholars in field of ADR, Plea Bargain, and Restorative Justice to do justice to the subject.
Since the publication will be grounded in law and practice—with emphasis on the Nigerian
justice system, laws and legal rules applicable in Nigeria—it hopes to draw on each
contributor’s area(s) of experience and expertise.

The publication is dedicated to the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Salihu Modibbo
Alfa Belgore, in recognition of his contribution to promoting access to justice in Nigeria. Mr.
Kevin N. Nwosu, initiator of SETTLEMENT HOUSE, is the publication’s Editor, while Okey
Uzoechina is the Editorial Coordinator.
 Annex 1- Guidelines for Contributors

2. Target audience

Given the experience and expertise of the proposed contributors and the dearth of quality
texts on the subject area, the publication is intended to be the “go-to” resource for a wide
range of users including:

a. Judicial officers
b. Legal practitioners
c. Lawmakers
d. Policy makers
e. Law teachers
f. Law students
g. Law enforcement agents
h. Dispute resolution practitioners
i. Corporate bodies
j. Development partners
k. Other professionals

3. Main themes

The publication aims to give a comprehensive coverage of the subject area in about twenty
(20) chapters. The chapters will focus on the following themes:

a. Dispute Resolution Principles

b. Communication Skills
c. Conflict Analysis
d. Negotiation
e. Mediation
f. Arbitration
g. ADR and Access to Justice
h. Plea Bargain
i. Restorative Justice

4. Style guide

Contributors are advised to note the following points:

a. Material submitted must be original work of the author(s) which has neither been
published nor submitted for publication elsewhere.

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 Annex 1- Guidelines for Contributors

b. The manuscript to be submitted should be between fifteen (15) and twenty (20)
typed pages, double-spaced, on A4 size Microsoft Word Document.

c. The manuscript should have a logical structure with consistent flow of thought.
Articles covering practice and procedure should reflect the following structure:
i. an introduction, which flags the main issues to be discussed
ii. a body, which elaborates on the issues raised and presents supporting facts
and/or legal authorities
iii. a conclusion, which relates to the issues discussed and answers any questions
raised in the introduction

d. Arguments should be based on objective research. Assumptions and statements of

opinion should be made sparingly.

e. Use a simple vocabulary and standard British spelling. Where acronyms are used, the
first instance of the term should be written out in full with the acronym enclosed in
brackets.

f. References should be by way of footnotes at the bottom of each page. Footnotes

should be kept simple and short, devoid of jargon such as: supra, infra, op. cit, loc. cit
(English equivalent should be used where appropriate). Preferably, the automated
Insert Footnote option in the Microsoft Word Document References tab should be
used. Please do not use Endnotes.

g. Full citation of books, articles and other source materials must be given. Citation of
books must contain:
i. the name of the author
ii. title of the article (in quotation marks)
iii. title of the book (in italics)
iv. place of publishing, name of publishers, and date of publishing (in brackets)
v. the page referred to in the book.

Example: Kevin N. Nwosu, Dispute Resolution in Nigeria (Lagos: Express Publishers

Ltd., 2003), p. 1

h. Authors should indicate their names, titles and addresses as they would want them
to be stated in the book.

i. Authors should give their brief citation highlighting major qualifications, positions
held and experience.

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 Annex 1- Guidelines for Contributors

5. Submission of manuscript

The deadline for submission of the first draft by contributors is 31 January 2010. This is to
meet the March 2010 target date of publication.

Manuscripts should be submitted, typewritten in A4 size paper in Microsoft Word format

and stored on a CD-ROM, to the address given below. Papers may also be sent in Microsoft
Word Document format by e-mail to:

The Editorial Coordinator

Access to Justice: ADR, Plea Bargain, & Restorative Justice
Settlement House
2 Samora Machel Street
Off Yakubu Gowon Crescent
Asokoro District
Abuja, Nigeria

Mobile number: +234 (0)803 668 2174

E-mail address: okeysoffice@yahoo.com

For enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Coordinator.