CCJ Judges review court procedures at judicial retreat

The Caribbean Court of Justice held its judicial retreat at the Kapok Hotel, St Clair, Trinidad. The Judicial Retreat is an important annual activity aimed at reviewing the processes and activities of the Court in keeping with its vision of providing high quality justice consistent with international legal norms. In attendance were the President of the Court, The Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron and all the Judges of the Court. Other personnel invited to participate included the Registry Department, the Legal Department and the IT Department. In his welcome address, the President gave an overview of the objectives and expectations of the Retreat. His vision for the retreat was to streamline the practices and procedures of the Court in both its appellate and original jurisdiction. In particular, the retreat was to facilitate the consolidation of all procedural rules of Court and the development of a regime to treat with issues of evidence in court proceedings.

Participants were treated to a presentation by the Right Honourable Sir Francis Jacobs, an eminent British jurist with wealth of experience in the practice of international courts having served as Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Communities from 1988 to 2006. Sir Francis imparted valuable knowledge on the approach of the international courts to issues of evidence. His presentation served as a backdrop to the re-evaluation of the approach of the Court especially in fact intensive cases. Extensive deliberations were also held with an aim of streamlining the procedural rules of the Court. The Rules Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Honourable Mr Justice Rolston Nelson, identified key areas of the procedural rules which are ripe for amendment. The President then lead off the discussions surrounding the operationalization of the e-filing system introduced by Practice Direction 1 of 2013 as the Court takes a further step to becoming a paperless judicial organisation. By all accounts the Judicial Retreat was a resounding success. It provided an opportunity for reflection, debate and discussion. At the close, measurable deliverables were identified with the aim of amending the rules of the Court to ensure the delivery of justice in an efficient and accessible manner.