Legal conference seeks better judicial system
A two-day summit that promises to speed up the legal process while ensuring that justice is served opened today in Belize City. Ann-Marie Williams was at the opening ceremonies.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
Members of the legal profession in Belize converged at the Radisson Hotel for the second year of a Bench and Bar Summit, which has as its theme ?Fast ands fair trials? How do we get there.?
One of the organizers of the event is the Bar Association of Belize. Fred Lumor is the president.
Fred Lumor, President, Bar Association of Belize
?This is an introduction to all members of the bar about proposed reforms that we intend to undertake in the judiciary and in a trial process. As you know, it has been declared openly that court time is no longer owned by lawyers who can use is as they like. It is now owned by the court, so rules governing trials are now changed to speed up trials on order to reduce cost to members of the public. As you are aware, in trying to introduce these changes in Trinidad and Tobago, it has resulted in confrontation among the key players. We in Belize want to avoid that situation. So this seminar is to expose these new changes that is sweeping across all former territories of Great Britain, what we now call the Commonwealth. It is to give opportunity to lawyers, judges and members of the public to be aware that changes are being made.?
And the changes being made promise to benefit the common man.
Fred Lumor
?The regulation will now be the rules which will govern the trial which will not allow for frivolous adjournments, frivolous filing of actions. For instance the judge will have the power to call parties in and ask them to retire next door to settle matters in thirty minutes, or to refer the matter to arbitration so that the back log will be avoided.?
The two-day event addresses several topics, among them: the legal aid system and fair trial. The state of the magistracy will also be examined says Attorney General Godfrey Smith.
Godfrey Smith, Attorney General, Belize
?We?re looking at the Magistracy because as you may well be aware, while the Supreme Court is the grand court in the judicial system, the majority of people have their interface with law and justice through the Magistrate Court. Again, that needs a lot of attention, both in physical infrastructure as well as training Magistrates and get things moving. Then the proceedings will be wrapped up by the Chief Justice of Belize, giving his own review and prospects of the upper bench, the judiciary in Belize.?
Magistrate Sharon Frazer has high expectations of the Bench and Bar Summit.
Sharon Frazer, Magistrate
?Taking matters at the Magistrate Court more seriously since the bulk of the criminal matters are dealt with at the Magistrate Court.?
?I hope that persons present will be able to see, especially where I work, the problems that we go through in terms of fair and speedy trials. It?s not just to ask for adjournments because they (the lawyers) are busy doing other things. And how important it is for the layman to have his day in court. Because a lot of times with these adjournments, the victim does not feel like the system is fair because the defendants get an attorney, they go in and they get adjournment, after adjournments and eventually the complainant get tired of the whole system and don?t show, up hence the defendants walk.?
Special guests at this year?s conference are Dennis Byron, Chief Justice of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and professor Clifford Hall, a poverty law lecturer at UWI. Plenary sessions end tomorrow with a floor discussion. Ann-Marie Williams for News Five.
