Judges and Attorneys in interaction

Judges and Attorneys in interaction: similarities and differences of Latvian and American justice systems

Date of the Conference

June 8-9, 2006

Organizers

The Supreme Court of Latvia and the American Board of Trial Advocates

Participants

15 high-level US judges and advocates

Chairs of Latvian district (city) and regional courts, judges of the Constitutional Court, senators and judges of the Supreme Court

Advocates of Latvia's leading law firms, senior advocates from districts of Latvia, individual practicing advocates

Judge of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities Ingrīda Labucka

Programme

The Professional activity and the relations between judges and advocates in Latvia not only once have aroused contemplation and even passions. To find a solution how to better professional ethics, behaviour and cooperation of the judicial officials and to find new ways how to strengthen the disciplinary accountability of judges and advocates, the Supreme Court and the American Board of Trial Advocates were organizing conference “Judges and attorneys in interaction: the commonalities and the differences in Latvia and American legal systems” on the 8th and 9th of June. We were also discussing judgments – not understandable for the society, and things we should do to better the prestige of judiciary.
On the second Conference day there was a possibility to observe a trial, which was chaired by Wendel Mortimer, Judge from USA and Gunārs Aigars, Chairman of the Civil Cases Chamber. It was a great possibility to acquaint with the American judicial principles and the performance of sworn jury.