Chief Justice says Gibraltar’s courts need greater specialisation to meet growing demands

Gibraltar’s legal community has gathered for the formal Opening of the Legal Year: an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months and look to the year ahead.

The ceremony took place at the Supreme Court. Our reporter Melanie Chipolina Guilliano was in attendance.

The Opening of the Legal Year was preceded by the traditional Red Mass at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, bringing together members of the judiciary and legal profession at the start of the new judicial year.

From there, they made their way to the Supreme Court, with members of the judiciary entering ahead of the Chief Justice.

The Chief Justice was the last to arrive, inspecting the Customs guard in ceremonial dress before entering the court for the formal proceedings.

Attorney General Michael Llamas addressed the court, reflecting on the work of the past year and the legal and institutional developments shaping the year ahead.

He said the Gibraltar EU Treaty had dominated the work of the Government Law Offices, describing its implementation as one of the most complex legislative exercises ever undertaken in Gibraltar.

More than 50 pieces of subsidiary legislation were introduced as part of that process, while he also highlighted a rise in sexual offence and financial crime cases and continuing reforms following the Openshaw Report.

Chair of the Gibraltar Law Council Emma Lejeune then spoke on behalf of the profession, highlighting Gibraltar’s removal from the Grey list and the positive outcome of the treaty as significant moments from the past legal year.  Formally seconding the motion for the Opening of the Legal Year, I asked Ms Lejeune what she thoght were the main pressures currently facing the legal profession, particularly as the jurisdiction adapts to the new treaty

The Chief Justice then delivered his address, drawing a comparison between the development of the health service and the courts.

He said the health service now had a multitude of specialists, allowing it to better serve the community, while comparatively little had changed within the judicial system.

While praising the judiciary for dealing with the full breadth of the law to a high standard, he highlighted the need for greater specialisation, including specialist criminal and family judges.

He stressed this was not a criticism of the judicial team, saying he was grateful for what had been achieved. He added that the fact court matters feature in the press on a daily basis was itself an indication of the volume of work being carried out.

The Chief Justice also congratulated Gillaine Guzman KC on becoming a Bencher of the Middle Temple and paid tribute to three Justices of the Peace who had died, as well as Justice Felix Pizzarello, whom he described as a man of principle and humble almost to a fault.

After the ceremony, Justice Minister Nigel Feetham spoke to GBC about recent changes to Gibraltar’s laws relating to sex offenders and sexual offences.

We also spoke to the Director of Public Prosecutions about the pressures facing the prosecution service, including the increasing complexity of serious cases and the need for specialist training.

And the occasion also marked a significant milestone for Gillaine Guzman KC, who has become Gibraltar’s newest Bencher of the Middle Temple.

Her appointment means Gibraltar now has an equal number of male and female Benchers.

The Opening of the Legal Year remains both a ceremonial occasion and an opportunity to take stock of the challenges facing Gibraltar’s justice system.

This year, much of the focus was on legal reform, professional standards and the changing demands being placed on the courts and the wider legal profession.