Justice Department launches AG’s law journal

By LULU MARK
The Attorney-General’s Law Digest, a law journal, is a tool to create, retain and manage knowledge which will help develop the capacity of young lawyers, says Attorney-General Davis Steven.
He said the value and impact of an organisation depended on how best knowledge was created, retained and managed by the organisation.
In Port Moresby on Wednesday, Department of Justice and Attorney-General launched the Attorney-General’s Law Digest and a book by Dr Wilfred Golman on the World Trade Organisation Dispute Settlement Mechanism and the South Pacific Island Nation’s Participation.
Steven said more Papua New Guineans needed to write and apply analytical thinking to contribute to the body of knowledge.
He acknowledged Golman’s contribution to the body of knowledge in the legal field.
“The legal opinions, cases litigated and legal policy reforms undertaken by the department through the State legal service division, and the justice administration division, are important primary forms of knowledge that critically need to be retained and managed,” Steven said. “The digest will create the avenue where lawyers would write and put ideas in different areas of law they deal with.
“This initiative also promotes a culture of writing and critical analysis amongst lawyers.”
Steven said writing was an important part of those in the legal field and demanded a high level of quality writing skills.
The law digest will contribute to meeting this demand.
Secretary for Justice, Dr Eric Kwa said: “The Law Digest will be published on line and it will be free of charge as our service to PNG.
“It will be a permanent feature of the department”.
Two volumes will be published yearly and young lawyers are encouraged to contribute papers.
The first volume will be published in July this year.