The transformation of the Portuguese judicial organization Between efficiency and democracy

Since the late 1980s we have been witnessing a movement towards reform of the judicial system on a global scale. Recently, the justice administration management reforms became one of the main investments in several European countries. Among these kinds of measures are the redefinition of the territorial jurisdiction and the organizational structure of the judiciary. In this paper, based on the judicial organization reform process in Portugal, I address the main policies that must guide the redefinition of territorial jurisdiction. Most of the concerns discussed are common to the large majority of European countries with a civil law tradition and may very well also apply to them.