This article reports on present and past efforts at civil justice reform in the United States and assesses the opportunities for learning from Continental models. European jurists have long urged that their American colleagues consider using continental approaches in dealing with the serious problems that afflict the American system of civil justice. A few years back, our colleague Kötz noted that "If there is a desire to reform American civil procedure, either by making changes within the adversary system or by developing alternative methods of dispute resolution, the Continental experience may be well worth studying."