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Media Release: Eight court volunteers recognised by the Singapore Courts for playing invaluable part in enhancing access to justice
EIGHT COURT VOLUNTEERS RECOGNISED BY THE SINGAPORE COURTS FOR PLAYING INVALUABLE PART IN ENHANCING ACCESS TO JUSTICE
The Singapore Courts recognised the sterling contributions of its volunteers at the Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation Lunch. The event, held on 27 November 2024 at the Furama City Centre, honoured the commitment and invaluable support these individuals provide to the Courts. A list of award recipients is available in Annex A.
2 Mr Mervyn Cheong received the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Award. This accolade recognises the pro bono contributions by the LASCO counsel in ensuring access to justice for those who are charged with capital offences.
3 Two exceptional court volunteers from the State Courts received awards for their outstanding commitment and support to pro bono work. The recipients are Mr Lau Kah Hee (Advocate and Solicitor Category Award recipient), a dedicated volunteer mediator at the Small Claims Tribunals, and Dr Ronald Paul Ng (Open Category Award recipient), a practising doctor who volunteers as a mediator and expertly mediates criminal cases at the State Courts Court Dispute Resolution Cluster. The profiles of the LASCO Award and Outstanding Court Volunteer Award recipients are available in Annex B. Additionally, five volunteers were presented with Long Service Awards for their dedicated service to the Courts.
4 The awards were conferred by The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. In Chief Justice Menon’s welcome address to the court volunteers, he said: “We host this event each year to express our deep appreciation for the tremendous contributions of all the volunteers who support the Judiciary’s various programmes for litigants and court users. All of you, our court volunteers, through your diverse range of contributions, play an extremely important role in supporting these efforts and making access to justice a reality for the court users that you interact with.”
Issued by: SG Courts
27 November 2024
About Singapore Courts
The Singapore Courts - comprising the Supreme Court, State Courts and Family Justice Courts - is one of the three constitutional pillars of government in Singapore. Known collectively as SG Courts, we are integrated and coordinated to serve as one judiciary. As an organ of state, the judiciary’s function is to independently administer justice. Headed by the Chief Justice, we are a forward-looking, innovative and trusted judiciary. Built on judicial professionalism and transparency, we maintain the highest standards of integrity in safeguarding our community. We pledge to ensure equal and continuous access to justice, and we are committed to deliver justice that is fair and impartial. For more information, please visit www.judiciary.gov.sg.
Annex A - Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation 2024 Award Recipients
About the Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation Award
The Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation Award recognises the sterling contributions of court volunteers, who have assisted and supported the Judiciary’s various programmes for self-represented persons and court users. Comprising members of the Bar, professionals and individuals from diverse backgrounds, court volunteers play an important role in the Judiciary’s effort to ensure that everyone who needs to access justice before the Courts is able to do so.
Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Award
The Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Award, conferred by the Supreme Court, is presented to deserving LASCO counsel to recognise their pro bono contributions in ensuring access to justice for those who are charged with capital offences. The LASCO Award was presented to Mr Mervyn Cheong.
Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards
The Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards (Advocate & Solicitor Category and Open Category) are conferred by the State Courts and presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication as volunteers. The Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards 2024 were presented to Mr Lau Kah Hee (Advocate and Solicitor Category) and Dr Ronald Paul Ng (Open Category).
Long Service Awards
The Long Service Court Volunteer Award recognises court volunteers who have given their continued support and valuable time in serving the State Courts and the Family Justice Courts. The Long Service Awards were presented to the following individuals:
| S/N | Name of Recipient | Long Sercive Award | Courts(s) |
| 1 | Lim Soon Hock | 10 years | State Courts |
| 2 | Luo Guo Wei, Melvin | 10 years | State Courts |
| 3 | Lim Sing Lip, Philip | 15 years | Family Justice Courts |
| 4 | Chew Yew Kuen, Michael | 15 years | Family Justice Courts |
| 5 | Chia Swee Tin | 20 years | Family Justice Courts |
Annex B - Profiles of Outstanding Court Volunteer Award Recipients
Mr Mervyn Cheong, (张俊铭), LASCO Lead Counsel
Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Award 2024
Mr Mervyn Cheong was emplaced on the LASCO panel as an Assistant Counsel in 2011, two years after being called to the Bar in 2009. In 2014, he was appointed as a Lead Counsel.
Mr Cheong's reputation for thorough preparation ensures his clients receive exemplary representation. He has undertaken several significant cases as a LASCO counsel, including a first in Singapore involving Section 300(b) of the Penal Code . In 2020, he successfully secured an acquittal for his client before a five-Judge panel. Mr Cheong's skilled advocacy in complex drug trafficking cases has further enhanced his reputation as a formidable defender in such matters.
Mr Cheong’s expertise in criminal cases gained international recognition when he became the second Singaporean appointed to the International Criminal Court's prestigious List of Counsel, thus expanding his practice to the global stage.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Mr Cheong has earned acclaim for his role in mentoring junior counsel. He has guided them through trials, fostering their growth as advocates. His commitment extends to mentoring young minds at the National University of Singapore who are interested in criminal defence work, demonstrating his dedication to fostering future generations of criminal defence lawyers and bolstering the criminal bar.
Mr Lau Kah Hee (刘家喜), Court Volunteer Mediator
Outstanding Court Volunteer Award (Advocate & Solicitor Category)
Mr Lau Kah Hee has been a Court Volunteer Mediator (CVM) with the State Courts for over eight years. He volunteered on 58 occasions from April 2023 to March 2024 (the award qualifying period), mediating cases assigned to him by the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster. These included landlord-tenant, consumer goods, renovation, and construction disputes.
He is also an active accredited mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and has been appointed to the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC) panel as an Adjudicator. On a pro-bono basis, Mr Lau also serves as a member of the Compensation Fund Committee, Law Society of Singapore and Assisting Counsel of LASCO.
His efforts as a CVM were recognised by court users when he received compliments for his dedication and professionalism.
Dr Ronald Paul Ng (吴定夷), Court Volunteer Mediator
Outstanding Court Volunteer Award (Open Category)
Dr Ronald Paul Ng has served as a Court Volunteer Mediator with the State Courts for over 11 years, specialising in criminal cases at the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster. He also holds the position of Principal Mediator at the Singapore Mediation Centre.
Despite his demanding schedule as a haematologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Dr Ng volunteered on 38 occasions over the past three years, including eight times between April last year and March this year. During this period, Dr Ng has achieved an impressive 100 per cent settlement rate.
Throughout his service as a volunteer mediator, Dr Ng has consistently demonstrated steadfast commitment, outstanding professionalism, and genuine enthusiasm for resolving disputes through mediation. His remarkable diligence and expertise in handling assigned criminal cases over the years have distinguished him as an exemplary contributor.
In addition to his mediation work, Dr Ng is an active volunteer and currently serves as a member of the SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board, which is responsible for the review of ethical aspects of research studies.
Topics:
Volunteers
2024/11/27
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