The Supreme Court has successfully conducted a three-day Judgment Writing Programme held at the Jubli Emas Hall of the Law and Courts Building from the 18th to 20th October 2018.
The programme, which was jointly organised by the Supreme Court with the assistance of the Singapore Judicial College, aimed to enhance the judgment writing skills of judicial and court officers. Three members of the Singapore Judicial College were invited to facilitate the programme, namely the Dean, Mr Foo Chee Hock, the Executive Director, Mr Paul Quan Kaih Shiuh and the Deputy Director, Mr Jam Chee Chong.
In her welcoming remarks during the opening of the programme, Pg Masni binti Pg Hj Bahar, the Acting Chief Magistrate and the co-chairperson of the programme, emphasised the Supreme Court's enthusiasm to implement their goal to administer justice and preserve the public's trust and confidence in the legal system. She also stressed the importance of writing and delivering a fair and effective judgment as a means of achieving a just resolution of conflict.
In his opening remarks, Mr Foo Chee Hock informed that this is Brunei Darussalam's first customised judgment writing programme. He further highlighted that the programme aims to equip judges to be proficient in the art and science of delivering a competent judgment.
In attendance were forty participants from the Civil Court, Syariah Court and the Attorney General's Chambers. The programme included discussions on the best practices of writing a proper judgment, how to tackle writer's block, assessment of credibility and the process of making decisions.
Throughout the course of the programme, participants were tasked to apply their newfound knowledge by drafting different aspects of a judgment based on a real life case study. Participants also had to deliver their final judgments in a court setting, which reviewed together with the facilitators through video recordings of their performances.
The programme concluded with a closing ceremony during which the guest of honour, Dato Paduka Steven Chong, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, presented certificates to the participants and a token of appreciation to the facilitators.
