| Fadley Faisal |
THE Supreme Court conducted a three-day Judgment Writing Programme at the Jubli Emas Hall of the Law and Courts Building from October 18-20.
The programme, jointly organised by the Supreme Court with the assistance of the Singapore Judicial College, was aimed to enhance the judgment writing skills of judicial and court officers. Three members of the Singapore Judicial College facilitated the programme, Dean Foo Chee Hock, Executive Director Paul Quan Kaih Shiuh and Deputy Director Jam Chee Chong.
Acting Chief Magistrate and co-chairperson of the programme Pengiran Masni binti Pengiran Haji Bahar stressed the importance of writing and delivering a fair and effective judgment as a means of achieving a just resolution of conflict.
Foo Chee Hock said that this is Brunei Darussalam’s first customised judgment writing programme. He highlighted that the programme aims to equip judges to be proficient in the art and science of delivering a competent judgment.
Forty participants from the Civil Court, Syariah Court and the Attorney General’s Chambers attended the programme. Participants saw 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 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Dato Paduka Steven Chong presented certificates to the participants and a token of appreciation to the facilitators.
