Monday, 18 September 2023
1. On 18 September 2023, the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and the British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam organised two lectures delivered by The Right Honourable the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales, Sir Geoffrey Vos.
2. At the lecture, Sir Geoffrey Vos spoke on 'Technology and Access to Justice: England and Wales' Revolution in Dispute Resolution and the Creation of the Digital Justice System' and on 'The Transformation of the Legal Profession through Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Implications for Legal Service Delivery and Dispute Resolution, Including the Courts.'
3. In attendance at the event together with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam, The Honourable Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong were the Attorney General, Yang Berhormat Haji Ahmad bin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Di-Raja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa and the Acting British High Commissioner, Mrs. Catherine Pochkhanavala-Cleeve. Participants who attended in person included those from the Judiciary, Attorney General's Chambers, Law Society, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Transport and Info Communications and Brunei Darussalam Arbitration Centre. Online participants included those from the Singapore Judiciary, Malaysian Judiciary, Hong Kong Judiciary and Hong Kong Department of Justice.
4. The event commenced with welcoming remarks from the Acting Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam, Pengiran Masni binti Pengiran Haji Bahar. She stated that “transitioning from analogue to digital justice is imperative in a post-pandemic world in helping to make justice more accessible and in making dispute resolution processes simpler and more efficient". The Acting Chief Registrar highlighted that “in realising Brunei Darussalam's efforts to transform into a smart nation, we must take steps to ensure that our legal industry maintains the confidence of its users in the digital age of dispute resolution".
5. The Acting Chief Registrar also spoke on how judicial cooperation has emerged as a key pillar in the relations between Brunei Darussalam and the United Kingdom and how the relationship between the judiciaries of Brunei Darussalam and England and Wales has made vast strides in recent years due to the continued support of the British High Commission. The visit of Sir Geoffrey Vos marks the third time a senior member of the Judiciary of England and Wales has come to Brunei Darussalam.
