Riyadh forum tackles challenges in judicial training

RIYADH: Confidence comes from competence, and competence comes from experience, Martin Camp told a panel discussion at the International Conference on Judicial Training held in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The mantra is central to Camp’s teaching approach as a professor of practice and assistant dean for graduate and international programs at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas, where he teaches property and business law.

In the conference’s sixth session, titled “Understanding Culture and Social Context in Judicial and Legal Training,” Camp, with other legal experts, discussed the significance of incorporating cultural awareness into the judicial system.

The panel included Rodrigo Alves, professor of law at the Federal University of Uberlandia, Mark Sweet, a partner at the Finnegan law firm, Jamal Haroun, secretary-general of the permanent secretariat of the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network, and Henry Gao, professor of law at Singapore Management University.

Camp said that despite each nation’s cultural identity, we all, as a collective society, desire the same things.

“Then I realized that under this veneer difference, we are the same. People want the same things. They want work, family, security, peace, everything they want depends on the rule of law.

“It does not matter what label we put on what systems people choose or what is chosen for them, in the final analysis, whatever system, people still want justice. They want the general application of the principle of rule of law and those are the rules that people are expected to follow.”

To have a flowing judicial system, training needs to be a regular part of the life of the judiciary and sometimes specialization is preferred to provide competence, Camp said.

“The role of the judiciary is ensuring that the rule of law, that the courts, are preachers of our constitution and our legislature … by understanding the law, practicing the law, and having the confidence that comes from that,” Camp added.

Fabricio Da Cruz, a federal judge in Brazil, told Arab News that he is attending the conference because he is fascinated by its theme, which explores the future of judicial training.

“Everybody here has something to tell and something to teach, but there is a lot to learn ... sharing knowledge is the main benefit from a conference like this.”

With 20 years of legal experience, Da Cruz has served as a professor of social sciences and law for undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students.

“I give this advice to my students and children: stay hungry for knowledge and focus on developing (your) skills ... knowledge and skills, together, make a huge difference in the future for the person, community, and country.”

The conference, which began on May 6, focused on the many aspects of judicial and legal training. Gathering law professionals from more than 40 countries, it explored how modern technologies and artificial intelligence can be integrated to enhance judicial and legal training methodologies.

Workshops and panel discussions covered challenges in developing training content during digital transformation, the impact of cultural and social contexts on the judicial training process, and key methodologies for evaluating training outcomes.