Sociolegal scholars use the metaphor of a pyramid to represent an aggregate view of the multiple stages inherent in the transition of individual social disputes from recognition and development through to eventual resolution. The chosen shape of a pyramid captures the idea of the exponential decline in the number of claims that individuals pursue at each stage of a long dispute resolution process. The dispute resolution process embodied in the image of a pyramid ranges from the possible actions in relation to grievances that exist prior to any dispute through to the resolution of legal claims presented to a court.

The multiple stages in the pyramid represent the many points at which potential grievances either fail to be initially recognized as a dispute or, if recognized ...