Lawyer’s Day to promote mediation and conciliation

This year’s celebration of Lawyer’s Day, an event organized by the Macau Lawyers Association (AAM), will for the first time feature free mediation sessions, wherein legal professionals will mediate presented cases as a way to promote this form of conflict resolution, the president of the AAM, Jorge Neto Valente, said yesterday in a press conference.

According to Neto Valente, the mediation and conciliation sessions will help the citizens to learn more about the new system, which is presented as an alternative to common court cases in certain situations.

The free sessions also aim to promote the AAM Mediation and Conciliation Centre, which was formalized late last year but has not yet received any cases for resolution.

The newly added mediation and conciliation sessions will be held alongside doubt clarification sessions that will be also provided by lawyers this year.

Both appointment sessions will be held at the Macau Business Tourism Centre in Senado Square. The same square will host most of the activities in the three-day program, running from May 17 to May 19.

In addition to the large number of leisure, recreational and entertainment activities available, there are also several other events of a more serious nature, namely the continuation of the sessions on the disclosure of the mainland’s laws, an activity that counts the support of the China Legal Services and that will bring legal professionals from the mainland, specializing in different fields, who will inform participants on several specificities of the continental laws as well as relevant changes or amendments made recently.

Another of the highlights noted by Neto Valente is the similarly traditional “Sports Day,” to be held on the second day of the celebration at the University of Macau, at which sports teams composed of lawyers will meet and challenge one another. Participants include staff of the Public Prosecutions Office, as well as magistrates.

FIRST CONGRESS OF MACAU LAWYERS IN SEPTEMBER

During the press conference held at the AAM headquarters yesterday afternoon, the president of the Association stated that the first-ever Congress of Macau Lawyers will be held this year, an event that is expected to take place in September.

According to Neto Valente, this has been a long-held ambition of the Association, which makes sense since the population of local lawyers has now surpassed 400, added to which is more than 120 interns for a total figure that he considers to justify the organization of such an event.

The president also disclosed that the first topic under discussion and analysis during this First Congress of Macau Lawyers will be, “the legal profession’s changes and challenges over the past 20 years, since the Macau SAR has been established, as well as projecting the future of the profession in Macau and in the Greater Bay Area,” said Neto Valente said, adding, “the GBA presents a big challenge and also big opportunities.”

On the topic, and replying to the questions of media present, the president elaborated, saying, “there are requests from other Associations within the neighboring cities so we can join together in the GBA.”

However, “we don’t want to enter through China and work on their field,” said Neto Valente. “We have to keep our identity and difference, which makes us particularly special and different in Macau. The specificity of Macau is what [makes] us different from the remainder of China.”