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CHANGES TO THE BENCH


Appointment of Vice-President of the Court of Appeal Justice Chao Hick Tin

Justice Chao Hick Tin relinquished his position as Attorney-General on 11 April 2008 and was appointed Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court. On 18 April 2008, he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal.

Justice Chao began his career as a State Counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chambers in 1967 and then served as a Senior State Counsel from 1979 to 1987. He was appointed Judicial Commissioner on 1 October 1987 and subsequently appointed Judge on 15 November 1990. Thereafter, he was appointed Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court on 2 August 1999, a position he held until his appointment as Attorney-General on 11 April 2006.

Justice Chao obtained his LL.B. from University College, London, in 1965. He was called to the Bar as a Barrister of Middle Temple in the same year. He then received his LL.M. from University College, London, in 1966 and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1971.

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JUDGES’ NEWS


Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong Elected Honorary Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn, England

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong was elected an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, England in 2008. Honorary Benchers are elected from individuals of distinction from around the world. Chief Justice Chan is the first local law graduate to be conferred this honour by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

The Society of Lincoln’s Inn is reputed to be the oldest of the four Inns of Court in England. The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations of barristers in England and Wales, and every barrister must belong to one of the Inns.


Chief Justice Receives National Day Award

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong was honoured with the The Order of Temasek (Second Class) for his contribution in winning Singapore’s claim to Pedra Branca. President S R Nathan presented Chief Justice Chan with the award at the Investiture of the National Day Awards ceremony on 17 November 2008 for his “outstanding leadership in the Pedra Branca case”.

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JUDGES’ PROFILE


Supreme & Federal Courts Judges’ Conference, Sydney, Australia

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong attended the Australian Supreme & Federal Courts Judges’ Conference with Judge of Appeal V K Rajah from 19 – 23 January 2008, at the invitation of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Australia, Brian Martin.

Members of the Australian Judiciary and other speakers presented papers and led discussions on legal issues affecting Australia such as the legal challenges stemming from advancements in technology outpacing developments in the law, the psychology of judicial decision making in sentencing, the phenomenon of vanishing trials and the challenges posed by vexatious litigants.


International Conference of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the World, Abu Dhabi

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Judge of Appeal V K Rajah attended the International Conference of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the World held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 23 - 24 March 2008. The presentations at the conference focused on the challenges facing courts all over the world in administering justice in the 21st century as well as the possible ways in which Syariah law could co-exist harmoniously with other legal and judicial systems. The conference saw participants from over 30 countries in attendance.

During the trip, Chief Justice Chan and Justice Rajah also took the opportunity to visit the Dubai International Financial Centre.


Visit to the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong led a delegation of Judges, including the Judges of Appeal and Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean, to Beijing, China, at the invitation of the newly-elected President of the Supreme People’s Court, Mr Wang Shengjun, from 13 – 17 October 2008.

President Wang Shengjun affirmed his commitment to maintaining good relations between the Singapore and the Chinese Judiciaries, and the two Chief Justices exchanged information on their respective legal systems and Judiciaries.

The delegation also visited the Law Faculty of Beijing University, the Tianjin High People’s Court, and paid a courtesy call on the newly-elected Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Mr Cao Jianming.


Judges’ Participation in Overseas Conferences and Seminars

DATE	NAME OF JUDGE	NAME OF CONFERENCE
19 – 23 Jan	CJ Chan Sek Keong V K Rajah, JA	Supreme & Federal Courts Judges’ Conference, Sydney, Australia
21 – 26 Mar	CJ Chan Sek Keong V K Rajah JA	International Conference of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the World & Visit to Dubai International Financial Centre. Abu Dhabi & Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3 – 6 Apr	Belinda Ang J	Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation, Sydney, Australia
26 – 27 Apr	CJ Chan Sek Keong	The 3rd Annual Event of the AGC of Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, Brunei
31 Jul – 2 Aug	CJ Chan Sek Keong	22nd Sultan Azlan Shah Law Lecture and Dinner, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1 – 3 Aug	Chao Hick Tin JA Lee Seiu Kin J	ASEAN Law Association Governing Council Meeting, Penang, Malaysia
3 – 5 Aug	Judith Prakash J	International Conference on Child Labour and Child Exploitation, Cairns, Australia
15 – 18 Aug	V K Rajah JA	International Arbitration Conference, Brunei
25 – 27 Sept	Woo Bih Li J	“International Trade in Asia-Pacific region: Legal & Economic Issues” Vladivostok, Russia
8 – 11 Oct	Lee Seiu Kin J	“Judicial Protection for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area” Guangxi-Nanning, China
6 – 7 Nov	Andrew Phang JA	4th Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration (AIJA) Appellate Judges’ Conference, Melbourne, Australia