Access to justice needs to be affordable: Chief Justice

[KarJuaKoon]

Access to justice needs to be affordable: Chief Justice

Published on Jan 31, 2013

Lawyers are the pathway to justice for people in need of it, but the "most critical hurdle" in the way is the high cost of litigation, said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

By Bryna Singh

Lawyers are the pathway to justice for people in need of it, but the "most critical hurdle" in the way is the high cost of litigation, said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

"It is cold comfort to those who seek justice to say we have a great legal system, if it is priced out of their reach," he said.

CJ Sundaresh Menon was speaking to some 200 lawyers in his opening address at the inaugural Litigation Conference 2013 this morning.

He said closer attention has to be paid in ensuring that the cost of legal services here is affordable to most and urged those in the audience to tackle that problem by re-examining the profession's cost structures, adding that some solutions were already in place.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.