JUDICIARY TIMES - Issue 01
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JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 ISSUE 01 | MAY 2018 JUDICIARY TIMES Opening of Twelve Key Initiatives The Family Justice Legal Year 2018: Announced at Courts Workplan 2018: Towards a Future- State Courts In the Next Phase Ready Legal Sector Workplan 2018 1 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 CONTENTS ISSUE 01 | MAY 2018 01 03 04 OPENING OF JUDGES AND TWELVE KEY LEGAL YEAR 2018: INTERNATIONAL InitiatiVES Towards A JUDGES ATTEND ANNOUNCED at FUTURE-Ready SICC 2018 State Courts LEGAL Sector WORKPLAN 2018 05 06 07 International THE Family Court AND TRIBUNAL IT DEVELOPMENTS JUSTICE Courts Administrators AND ITS IMPACT WORKPLAN 2018: attend THE ON LAW IN THE NEXT PHASE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ProGRAMME 2 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 07 08 08 SMU SCHOOL Volunteer TRAINING FOR OF LAW HOSTS Mediators newly recruited LUNCH FOR attend TRAINING Volunteer SUPREME COURT ProGRAMME Support PERSONS BENCH 09 09 10 State Courts State Courts THE JUDICIARY introduces launcH GIVES Back to DOCUMENTS-Only PHASE 2 SOCIETY process FOR OF THE CJTS CIVIL CASES 11-13 14 15 15 16 NotaBLE WHAT’S AWARDS & UPCOMING BEHIND THE VISITS NEW ACCOLADES EVENTS SCENES 3 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 HIGHLIGHTS OPENING OF LEGAL YEAR 2018: Towards A FUTURE - Ready LEGAL Sector The Opening of the Legal Year on 8 January was Chief Justice also highlighted the challenges ahead for marked by the traditional ceremony that took place the legal fraternity and the courts, which included in the morning at the Supreme Court Auditorium, the potential disruptive force of technology and the followed by the Judiciary Dinner held at the Istana. need to raise the professional standards of lawyers, and what had been done to address and turn After Attorney-General Lucien Wong and Mr Gregory them into opportunities for the legal community as a Vijayendran, President of the Law Society, gave their whole. The Ceremony was also attended by the speeches, The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh newly-appointed International Judges, as well as the Menon delivered his response outlining the key Chief Justice of Indonesia and Malaysia. developments and work done by the Courts in the past year, in areas such as enhancing access to A snapshot of Chief Justice’s response is presented on the justice and strengthening international partnerships. following page: 1 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 HIGHLIGHTS The Judiciary Dinner was held at the Istana on the same evening of the Ceremony. For the first time, Her Excellency President Halimah Yacob and Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee graced the Judiciary Dinner as the Guests-of-Honour of the event. Hosted by Chief Justice and Mrs Menon, the Dinner was well attended by the Judiciary and invited guests from all walks of the legal community. 2 2 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 EVENTS & INITIATIVES JUDGES AND INTERNATIONAL JUDGES ATTEND SICC 2018 Judges and International Judges (IJs) came together at The Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill was the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) passed in Parliament on 9 January, the first day of the Conference 2018 on 9 and 10 January. The conference – Conference. The Bill clarified that the SICC has the the fourth since its inception – is an annual event same jurisdiction as the High Court to hear proceedings convened to review the work of the SICC, and to set relating to international commercial arbitration under the further strategic goals for its development. International Arbitration Act. It also removed the pre-action certification procedure. These changes are A highlight for the SICC was the appointment of four new expected to come into force later this year. IJs to the SICC Bench and the re-appointment of eleven IJs who would be serving a second term. The four new The conference also highlighted how the Supreme Court IJs are highly respected jurists, not just in their home and the SICC have strengthened judicial ties with a jurisdictions, but internationally as well. They are: number of foreign courts in 2017 through signing various Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) relating to I. Justice Robert French, retired immediate past judicial cooperation and Memoranda of Guidance (MOG) Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia on the enforcement of money judgments. The conference concluded with a dinner on 9 January and with much II. Justice Beverly McLachlin PC, retired immediate to look forward to this year as the SICC continues past Chief Justice of Canada to strengthen its premise as an effective, trusted neutral destination for international dispute resolution. III. Justice Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, retired immediate past President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom IV. Justice Sir Jeremy Cooke, former Judge-in-charge of the Commercial Court of England and Wales 3 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 EVENTS & INITIATIVES TWELVE KEY InitiatiVES ANNOUNCED at State Courts WORKPLAN 2018 Presiding Judge of the State Courts, Justice See Kee Oon, announced 12 key initiatives at the State Courts Workplan 2018 on 9 March. The theme this year was “Shaping Tomorrow’s Justice”, which reflects State Courts’ continuous quest to prepare and be ready for the opportunities and challenges presented by the changing landscape and environment that they operate in. Three broad themes underpinned the initiatives: • Staying responsive in an evolving landscape • Refining court processes • Enhancing user experience They comprise different strategies that streamline and synergise court processes, as well as build upon the foundation of addressing the needs of the people they serve. STAYING RESPONSIVE IN AN REFINING COURT EVOLVING LANDSCAPE PROCESSES Pre-action protocols for “Documents-only” civil trials and town council prosecutions assessments of damages Two pre-action protocols for non- An efficient, cost-effective and time payment of service and conservancy saving option for litigants to conduct charges and breaches of town council their civil trials and assessment of by-laws, providing a framework damages hearings with documents only for town councils to negotiate and engage with an offender, before Practitioner’s Guide to initiating criminal proceedings as a Assessment of Damages in last resort Defamation Actions The first local publication which tracks FRiends ENgaging and ENHANCING USER all the defamation awards made in the Supporting (FRENS) scheme Supreme Court and State Courts from EXPERIENCE 2006 for lawyers, litigants and the Courts A befriender programme that links to use as reference offenders sentenced to imprisonment i-connect terms of less than 12 months with Pre-action protocol for A business centre with meeting volunteers who will accompany the defamation actions offenders in their rehabilitation and self-service facilities for court journey users which also serves as a A pre-action framework to guide parties test-bed for a similar set-up in on the conduct of their defamation suits the new State Courts Towers; Consolidated management of also houses the family-connect @ Additional dispute volunteer mediators State Courts set up to assist resolution tool –Conciliation families of offenders facing Centralised management of State imprisonment terms Another alternative dispute resolution Courts’ volunteer mediators to tool to help parties reach an optimal enhance parity in terms of the solution for their disputes through volunteers’ contributions, fulfilment Speech Transcription System facilitation by a Judge-conciliator requirements, awards and recognition An instant transcription system that recognises human voice and Facilitating early resolution transcribes speech and oral of criminal cases through Capacity-building for evidence into text in real time, Alternative Dispute Resolution Judicial Officers and allowing parties and the Courts Extending judge-led-mediation and Court Administrators to conduct their cases in a more neutral evaluation to minor regulatory effective and expeditious manner A structured framework to enhance offences that involve straightforward and less complex issues of law to facilitate Judges’ bench skills and to develop their adaptiveness, and initiatives to an early resolution of such cases develop the skill sets and enhance the professional development of Streamlining Magistrate’s Court Administrators Complaint process A one-stop centre for Magistrate’s Complaints for the complainant to have a holistic view of the options and support available for dealing with his complaint, and an interactive online self-assessment tool to guide potential complainants in assessing if the Magistrate’s Complaint process is the appropriate forum to address their grievances 4 JUDICIARY TIMES - ISSUE 01 EVENTS & INITIATIVES THE Family JUSTICE Courts WORKPLAN 2018: IN THE NEXT PHASE The Family Justice Courts A key priority which Justice Ong highlighted was the (FJC) held its fourth Annual simplification of the Family Justice Rules and processes, Workplan event, since its especially targeted at how elderly and vulnerable litigants inception, on 28 February at may be further assisted. This entailed looking into the the Supreme Court Auditorium. design of suitable court processes, information technology This year also marks the first systems and physical infrastructure to meet the needs FJC Workplan event under of this vulnerable segment of users. Other initiatives in Justice Debbie Ong who took the pipeline which Justice Ong mentioned include an over from Justice Valerie online dispute resolution (ODR) system, a Family Law Thean as the Presiding Judge Assistance Scheme (FLAS), Family Law Practitioner of the FJC (PJFJC) on