Members of the judiciary train in judgment writing

Prof. James Raymond, a legal expert is conducting a two-day training seminar for judges in judgment writing.Speaking at the opening ceremony held at Hotel Laico, Prof. Raymond said mistakes such as making the judgment excessively long, poorly organised, reporting instead of analyzing the issues and muddling them together are common among judges.  

Friday, February 05, 2010
Chief Justice Aloysia Cyanzayire

Prof. James Raymond, a legal expert is conducting a two-day training seminar for judges in judgment writing.

Speaking at the opening ceremony held at Hotel Laico, Prof. Raymond said mistakes such as making the judgment excessively long, poorly organised, reporting instead of analyzing the issues and muddling them together are common among judges.  

"There are common problems that judges worldwide find in their legal writing. They transcend differences in languages and geographical jurisdiction,” Raymond said during the lecture.

Raymond advised the judges to write their judgments in a way that even the common man, not only a lawyer, can read and understand because it’s the duty of the judiciary to inform people about the laws that govern them.

Speaking to The New Times, the law professor said; "the judicial system in Rwanda is still young and has all the energy, enthusiasm and intelligence of youth to open to new ideas.’

The Chief Justice Aloysia Cyanzaire told the judges that the training will improve on the quality of their writing skills which in turn will enable them deliver fair justice and be role models to junior law practitioners.

The training that attracted several Supreme and High Court Judges is organized by the Institute of Legal Practice and Development Training in partnership with USAID and Rwanda Millennium Challenge Corporation.

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