Revised Regulations for Lawyers-Turned-Judges

Lawyers-turned-judges will be prohibited from hearing cases that the law firm that they worked for handle for three years after their appointment.

The Supreme Court said yesterday that it revised “regulations on job assignment and court case allocation for judges” which will take effect starting May 1. The revision is to strengthen fairness and trust in trials.

The decision to appoint former practitioners as judges is in line with the Supreme Court’s policy of improving the quality of trials and reflecting the diverse values by tapping into the ample experience of former lawyers. The number of such judges appointed was 14 and 9 in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Under the revised regulations, such judges will not be allowed to deal with cases being handled by their previous employer for three years. If they were assigned such cases before the revision of the regulations, the cases will be shifted to another court at the request of the judge in question.

Prosecutors-turned-judges will be also banned from hearing the criminal cases in which they were involved in the past.

Moreover, the Supreme Court has decided not to assign cases related to former practices in the first place, rather than assigning them and shifting them to other courts later.

Judges are prohibited from handling cases involving themselves, their mates or relatives, or cases for which they are the legal representative or the supervisor of guardianship.

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