SINGAPORE: Singapore's courts will introduce measures to enhance the management of cases involving sexual offences, announced Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on Monday (Jan 13).
From Monday, all cases involving sexual offences in the High Court and trials involving some sexual offences in the State Courts will be assigned to a specialist list of experienced and specially trained judges and district judges.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 legal year, the Chief Justice said: “These cases require careful handling because of the impact that the trial process can have on both complainants and accused persons."
In the High Court, all sexual offence cases will be heard by judges on the specialist list, including trials, plead guilty mentions, magistrate's appeals, criminal motions and criminal revisions, said a spokesperson for the courts in response to CNA queries.
In the State Courts, the specialist list will cover trials for serious sexual offences – where there is a penetrative act, the exploitation of a vulnerable person, an abuse of a position of trust, the use of deception, or the use of violence, the spokesperson added.
"It will also cover trials involving complainants or accused persons with special needs that impact their ability to give evidence," the spokesperson said.
There are currently seven judges on the specialist list for such trials in the High Court. Four of them are also part of the eight judges who will take magistrate's appeals. There are 12 district judges on the list for cases at the State Courts.
With the launch of the specialist list, the courts are enhancing training and resources for these judges to build deeper expertise in handling sexual offence cases, said the spokesperson.
The courts will also pilot the use of enhanced pre-trial checklists to strengthen the management of these cases, and protect complainants while preserving the right to a fair trial, said Chief Justice Menon.
The aim of the checklist is to allow parties to discuss and identify key issues that are likely to arise during the trial, said the spokesperson for the courts.
"This will help the court to crystallise the facts in issue and frame the contentious points that are likely to be explored in cross-examination before the trial commences," the spokesperson added.
This would enable the judge to "shut out lines of questioning" that are "completely irrelevant" or "clearly intended to insult or annoy the complainant" at the trial.
Currently, parties must file a judge case conference checklist at least seven days before the scheduled conference, for every criminal case in the High Court, and a similar requirement applies in the State Courts.
The pilot will build on this existing checklist, and parties are required to consider and provide estimates of the time they require for the examination and cross-examination of each witness.
To encourage safe and sustainable workplaces, the Law Society will issue a policy on preventing workplace harassment and bullying, Chief Justice Menon announced on Monday.
A toolkit will guide law firms on basic structures and procedures that they can implement to prevent such conduct at the workplace, he said in his speech.
The policy is one of eight new recommendations added to the final report by the ethics and professional standards committee, which was also published on Monday.
The committee was formed in 2023, after a rise in disciplinary tribunals at the time.
The interim report, which Chief Justice Menon outlined in 2024, made 13 recommendations, including making ethics modules a mandatory part of the bar exam to ensure that lawyers and law students remain up-to-date with their ethical obligations.
These are the eight new recommendations made in the final report by the ethics and professional standards committee, on top of the existing 13.
The final report found that younger lawyers are strongly drawn to work and workplaces that are aligned with their values, he said.
“They value work that is not only intellectually stimulating but which also contributes to the mission of administering justice, and they seek workplaces that are ethically run and respectful, and which adopt sustainable practices,” he added.
The profession’s culture must “cohere” with the values and aspirations of this generation of lawyers to avoid losing them, said Chief Justice Menon.
As recommended in the final report, the Law Society will launch a new peer support initiative, or the Legal Practitioners’ Support Protocol, to assist lawyers, he said.
The initiative will emphasise intervening “before the risk factors escalate to the point of becoming grounds for formal complaint”.
To promote sustainable work practices and address “generation gaps” in the workplace, the Singapore Academy of Law will lead an initiative to examine these issues and develop a set of principles with a pilot group of law firms and legal departments, he added.
Thanking those who have contributed to Singapore’s legal system in the past year, the Chief Justice noted that the coming legal year is special because Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence in 2025.
While Singapore’s history is relatively short, its courts and legal system have been a “foundational part” of the story, he added.
“At the same time, we must not overlook the reality of our rapidly changing environment, and we must properly equip ourselves to meet it.”
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From Monday, all cases involving sexual offences in the High Court and trials involving some sexual offences in the State Courts will be assigned to a specialist list of experienced and specially trained judges and district judges.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 legal year, the Chief Justice said: “These cases require careful handling because of the impact that the trial process can have on both complainants and accused persons."
In the High Court, all sexual offence cases will be heard by judges on the specialist list, including trials, plead guilty mentions, magistrate's appeals, criminal motions and criminal revisions, said a spokesperson for the courts in response to CNA queries.
In the State Courts, the specialist list will cover trials for serious sexual offences – where there is a penetrative act, the exploitation of a vulnerable person, an abuse of a position of trust, the use of deception, or the use of violence, the spokesperson added.
"It will also cover trials involving complainants or accused persons with special needs that impact their ability to give evidence," the spokesperson said.
There are currently seven judges on the specialist list for such trials in the High Court. Four of them are also part of the eight judges who will take magistrate's appeals. There are 12 district judges on the list for cases at the State Courts.
With the launch of the specialist list, the courts are enhancing training and resources for these judges to build deeper expertise in handling sexual offence cases, said the spokesperson.
The courts will also pilot the use of enhanced pre-trial checklists to strengthen the management of these cases, and protect complainants while preserving the right to a fair trial, said Chief Justice Menon.
The aim of the checklist is to allow parties to discuss and identify key issues that are likely to arise during the trial, said the spokesperson for the courts.
"This will help the court to crystallise the facts in issue and frame the contentious points that are likely to be explored in cross-examination before the trial commences," the spokesperson added.
This would enable the judge to "shut out lines of questioning" that are "completely irrelevant" or "clearly intended to insult or annoy the complainant" at the trial.
Currently, parties must file a judge case conference checklist at least seven days before the scheduled conference, for every criminal case in the High Court, and a similar requirement applies in the State Courts.
The pilot will build on this existing checklist, and parties are required to consider and provide estimates of the time they require for the examination and cross-examination of each witness.
SUSTAINABLE WORK PRACTICES
To encourage safe and sustainable workplaces, the Law Society will issue a policy on preventing workplace harassment and bullying, Chief Justice Menon announced on Monday.
A toolkit will guide law firms on basic structures and procedures that they can implement to prevent such conduct at the workplace, he said in his speech.
The policy is one of eight new recommendations added to the final report by the ethics and professional standards committee, which was also published on Monday.
The committee was formed in 2023, after a rise in disciplinary tribunals at the time.
The interim report, which Chief Justice Menon outlined in 2024, made 13 recommendations, including making ethics modules a mandatory part of the bar exam to ensure that lawyers and law students remain up-to-date with their ethical obligations.
The 8 new recommendations in the final report
These are the eight new recommendations made in the final report by the ethics and professional standards committee, on top of the existing 13.
- The Law Society of Singapore should provide training for mentors on how to ensure a productive relationship with their mentees.
- A peer support mechanism, or the Legal Practitioner Support Protocol, which could rehabilitate or provide timely assistance to the affected legal practitioner.
- To equip legal practitioners with practical knowledge on the sound management of law practices, the Law Society’s legal practice management course should expand its syllabus and redesign its modules.
- The Law Society should prepare a syllabus for a structured mentoring programme within law firms, to ensure that junior lawyers receive effective mentorship at their workplaces.
- Experienced lawyers of high professional standing should be encouraged to teach within their own firms, to facilitate ethics training within law firms.
- The Law Society should make the legal profession's position clear with a policy on the prevention of workplace harassment and bullying, with a toolkit that guides law firms.
- The Singapore Academy of Law should lead an initiative to research the impact of generation gaps between senior and junior lawyers, to cultivate and maintain sustainable work practices.
- The Singapore Academy of Law's professional affairs committee should oversee the implementation of these recommendations.
The final report found that younger lawyers are strongly drawn to work and workplaces that are aligned with their values, he said.
“They value work that is not only intellectually stimulating but which also contributes to the mission of administering justice, and they seek workplaces that are ethically run and respectful, and which adopt sustainable practices,” he added.
The profession’s culture must “cohere” with the values and aspirations of this generation of lawyers to avoid losing them, said Chief Justice Menon.
As recommended in the final report, the Law Society will launch a new peer support initiative, or the Legal Practitioners’ Support Protocol, to assist lawyers, he said.
The initiative will emphasise intervening “before the risk factors escalate to the point of becoming grounds for formal complaint”.
To promote sustainable work practices and address “generation gaps” in the workplace, the Singapore Academy of Law will lead an initiative to examine these issues and develop a set of principles with a pilot group of law firms and legal departments, he added.
Thanking those who have contributed to Singapore’s legal system in the past year, the Chief Justice noted that the coming legal year is special because Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence in 2025.
While Singapore’s history is relatively short, its courts and legal system have been a “foundational part” of the story, he added.
“At the same time, we must not overlook the reality of our rapidly changing environment, and we must properly equip ourselves to meet it.”
Continue reading...