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Study Trips and Attachments to Overseas Courts



Study Visit to the Court of Protection and the Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK


From 9 to 20 February 2009, Assistant Registrars Janice Wong and Then Ling participated in a two-week attachment to the Court of Protection and the Royal Courts of Justice in London, United Kingdom (UK).


At the Court of Protection, which makes decisions in relation to the property and affairs, as well as healthcare and personal welfare of adults who lack mental capacity, the Assistant Registrars met with Senior Judge Denzil Lush and District Judges to learn more about the application of the UK’s Mental Capacity Act 2005.


The Assistant Registrars subsequently visited the Royal Courts of Justice, which houses both the Court of Appeal and the High Court. During their attachment, they sat in with the Masters of the Queen’s Bench Division and observed how the Masters conduct and manage court proceedings. They also sat in for practice hearings, case management conferences and interlocutory application hearings.



The First Joint Committee Meeting for the Implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and Vietnam on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Hanoi, Vietnam


The Supreme Court was represented by Assistant Registrar Lim Jian Yi at the First Joint Committee Meeting for the Implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and Vietnam on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Hanoi, Vietnam on 23 February 2009.


At the meeting, both countries agreed to expand cooperation in fields such as legal education and training, the exchange of experts, information and materials, and legal research. After the signing of the minutes, the Singapore delegation, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Law, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Supreme Court, the Subordinate Courts and the Ministry of Home Affairs, was hosted to a lunch reception by the Standing Vice Minister of Justice, Dr. Hoang The Lien. The delegation also visited the Supreme People’s Court as well as the Supreme People’s Procuracy.



Study Visit to the Courts in Munich and Paris, Europe


A four-member delegation comprising Assistant Registrars Cornie Ng, Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal, Teo Guan Siew and Denise Wong visited the courts in Munich and Paris from 4 to 9 October 2009. The aim of the learning visit was to study the court processes in these jurisdictions, in particular, their regime of awarding costs in litigation.


In Munich, the delegation was hosted by the Chief Judicial Inspector of the Local Court of Munich, who conducted a detailed briefing on the history of the German court system and costs regime. The delegation was then taken on a tour of both the Local Court and the Regional Court of Munich.


In Paris, the Assistant Registrars were hosted by the Registrars of the Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of France, who shared case studies about the French regime of costs. The study visit ended with a tour of the courts and a visit to the Sainte-Chapelle, a gothic chapel in the vicinity famed for its stained glass.



Goodwill Visit to Thailand


A three-member delegation led by Senior Assistant Registrar Kenneth Yap visited the Supreme Court of Thailand, Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Attorney-General, and other courts in Thailand from 6 to 10 January 2009.




Goodwill visit to the Thailand Courts, Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney-General



During the visit, the Supreme Court strengthened its close relationship with Thai counterparts, and shared with them our case management strategies and experiences. The visit ended on a successful note with officers from both countries pledging closer cooperation, as well as inter-judiciary exchange and learning opportunities.