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On June 19–20, a meeting of advisers, assistant judges, and consultants of the supreme courts of the Baltic States took place at the Supreme Court of Lithuania.

Guests from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania discussed how to improve the organisation of judicial assistants’ work — from receiving a cassation appeal to announcing the decision of the panel of judges — as well as how to effectively use digital tools in the day-to-day work of courts.

“After celebrating 30 years of close and ongoing cooperation between our supreme courts in Riga in 2023, I am excited to see that a new decade promises an even closer bond. The annual trilateral meetings between the Supreme Courts of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are now beginning to morph and expand beyond the offices of the Presidents. Starting today, they also include judicial staff to foster even closer cooperation between our institutions. I encourage you to make this a lively and inclusive exchange of good practices where everyone’s thoughts and perspectives are welcome,“ said the President of the Supreme Court of Lithuania Danguolė Bublienė, while welcoming the guests.

Chief Adviser of the Legal Research Group Edita Kisielienė emphasised that such meetings allow not only the establishment of closer professional contacts, but also sharing useful experiences and to learn from each other's ideas for the improvement of work organisation.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to exchanging information on the functions of judicial assistants and their cooperation with judges in each of the Baltic States, as well as discussing the similarities and differences in judicial assistants’ work organisation, and on the possibilities for improvement of the organisational model.

In the second part, the Lithuanian team presented the Supreme Court's artificial intelligence tool “TeDIA“, the case law rules system, and other IT solutions used in daily operations. Colleagues from Latvia and Estonia presented case management and search tools for their respective supreme courts.

During the visit, the guests were also introduced to the structure of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, its organisational model, and its role as the only court of cassation in the Lithuanian legal system. In addition, the guests took part in a guided tour of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, during which they learned many interesting facts about the history of Lithuania and became acquainted with the cultural heritage of the capital.

During this visit, valuable professional contacts were established that will allow for a more rapid exchange of best practices and better coordination of future projects. After thanking the participants for their active involvement, Rūta Krasuckaitė, Head of the Legal Research Group, concluded the discussion by noting that, in addition to annual meetings of this type, other joint initiatives could be explored, such as joint visits to the European Union or other international institutions.

The participants agreed that such meetings are not only a valuable opportunity to share experiences and learn how similar issues are dealt with in the supreme courts of neighbouring countries, but also a way to establish stronger cooperation between the supreme courts of the Baltic States.

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