Opening of the Legal Year 2014

January 2014

The month of January heralded the Opening of the Legal Year 2014, the most significant event of the legal calendar in Singapore, which outlines the strategy and direction for the judiciary and the legal sector for the rest of the year.

The Opening of the Legal Year 2014 Ceremony was held on Friday 3 January 2014 at the Supreme Court Auditorium. Hosted by CJ Menon and the Supreme Court Bench, the Ceremony was attended by over 500 foreign and local dignitaries and guests, including the Right Honourable Tun Arifin bin Zakaria, Chief Justice of Malaysia, Justice Geraldine Andrews of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam, the Honourable Attorney-General Steven Chong, Law Society President Lok Vi Ming and our former Chief Justices.

CE hosted an Opening of the Legal Year 2014 staff lunch on 8 January 2014 at B1 Breakout Area of the Supreme Court. The lunch marked a great beginning for all staff for the new year, as we look forward to exciting new developments for the Supreme Court in 2014.

The original Roman calendar was believed to be a lunar calendar. It was during the time of Julius Caesar (100BC – 44BC) that the earliest version of the modern calendar, the Julian calendar, became the predominant calendar in most of Europe until it was refined and superseded by the Gregorian calendar, which is the most commonly used calendar today.

In his response at the Opening of the Legal Year 2014, CJ Menon paid tribute to Justice Lai Siu Chiu and Justice Tan Lee Meng, both of whom retired from the Bench last year and extended his welcome to the newly-appointed members of the Bench. CJ Menon also set out the strategies and directions for the new Legal Year, highlighting the major initiatives such as the reforms to the family justice system, the establishment of the Singapore International Commercial Court and the changes to the procedures for the effective cost management of cases.

In keeping with tradition, CJ Menon hosted the Opening of the Legal Year 2014 Dinner which was held at the Istana on the evening of 3 January 2014, and graced by His Excellency, President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Mrs Mary Tan as the Guests-of-Honour.

Opening of the Legal Year 2014 Staff Lunch

DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR The Supreme Court hosted a visit by Sein Than, Director-General of the Supreme Court of the Union of Myanmar and a delegation of senior judicial officers from Myanmar on 18 December 2013. The delegation was given a tour of the Supreme Court and briefed on eLitigation by SAR Yeong Zee Kin and AR Edwin San.

Lionel Yee JC will complete his one-year term as Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 31 January 2014 and will leave the Supreme Court to take up the position of Solicitor-General at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) with effect from 1 February 2014.

Farewell to Lionel Yee JC

The President of the Republic of Singapore, acting in his discretion, and in concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister has appointed Mr Lee Kim Shin as Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court for a term of one year, with effect from 2 January 2014. With the appointment of Mr Lee, the Supreme Court will have a total of 14 Judges (including the Chief Justice) and five Judicial Commissioners.

Swearing-in of New Judicial Commissioner

The Supreme Court expresses its deep appreciation for Lionel Yee JC’s invaluable contributions and wishes him all the best for his new position as Solicitor-General at the AGC.

welcome

Terence Ee Buan Teck Chief Information Officer “I joined the Supreme Court on 16 December 2013 after 12 years of IT in the energy industry and 11 years of IT in the public service. My interests include reading and exploring nature.”

Jonathan Yap Assistant Registrar “Having spent two very fulfilling years as a JLC, my only regret is not having made much progress in the Supreme Court gym. I’m rather hoping that I will fare better at the challenge of being an AR, and perhaps make a modest contribution to the law in the process of trying.”

Paul Tan Wei Chean Assistant Registrar “Hi, I am an outgoing person with a myriad of interests including photography and diving especially when they are combined. Coming from private practice, I look forward to learning about my new role and what goes into the other side of the process.”

Nicholas Lim Court Orderly, CSD “I had previously worked at MCI as an OSO. My favourite hobby is to listen to music as a form of relaxation. I look forward to attend the courses I have been enrolled in to help me upgrade my work skills and perform better at work.”

Opening of the Legal Year 2014 Dinner

The very first calendars were charted by time intervals from one new moon to the next, as the moon was the basic unit for time reckoning in ancient times. As such, the calendars of the early Chinese, Babylonians, Greeks and Jews were predominantly lunar calendars.

Even though the Gregorian calendar is in common and legal use now, lunar calendars continue to determine traditional holidays in many parts of the world, including the upcoming Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Deepavali.

JUSTICE JACK JACOBS OF THE SUPREME COURT OF DELAWARE, USA Justice Jack Jacobs of the Supreme Court of Delaware, USA, called on CJ Menon on 14 January 2014. Justice Jacobs previously served as Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery, USA, and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, Widener University School of Law, and Columbia University School of Law in the USA.

Guests were treated to a sterling performance by Ventus Quintet, an acoustic woodwind quintet, led by Ms Jeanette Yeo, a legal counsel at Starbucks Singapore. The surprise of the evening was an impromptu birthday celebration for Justice Chan Seng Onn, whose birthday was on 3 January as well.

The Supreme Court wishes all staff a

Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year!