Media Release: Singapore Courts Recognise Court Volunteers for their Contributions to the Administration of Justice

            The Singapore Courts (SG Courts) honoured 50 court volunteers for their dedication and the integral role they play in supporting the Judiciary’s efforts to enhance access to justice for court users at the annual Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation (JVA) held on 7 October 2026 at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering. 

2          For the first time, 12 young lawyers from the 2026 Young Independent Counsel (YIC) scheme were presented with Certificates of Appreciation for their contributions to the development of the law. YICs assist the Court on novel or complex legal issues through independent legal research and written and oral submissions. More information on the YIC scheme, including the full list of 2026 YICs and profiles of selected YICs, is available in the attached factsheet.

3          The awards and Certificates of Appreciation were presented by The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

Outstanding Court Volunteer Award

4          Three volunteers from the State Courts received awards for their exemplary commitment to pro bono work. They are Ms Gloria James-Civetta (Advocate and Solicitor category), a lawyer who has mediated civil cases for 15 years at the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster, Mr Koo Nam Kok (Open category), a volunteer mediator who goes beyond scheduled hours to help parties reach amicable resolutions, and Mr Yeo Chang Zhen Jasper (Student category), a recent law graduate who contributed 72 pro bono hours assisting self-represented persons. Profiles of the Outstanding Court Volunteer Award are available in Annex A.

Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Long Service Award

5          Four lawyers – Mr Michael Soo Chia, Mr Pratap Kishan, Mr Nicholas Aw Wee Chong and Mr Laurence Goh Eng Yau – who have served on the LASCO panel for 25 years or more, received the LASCO Long Service Award. Under LASCO, lawyers may volunteer to represent accused persons charged with capital offences at trial and on appeal. Profiles of the LASCO Long Service Award recipients are available in Annex A.

Long Service Award

6          The Long Service Awards celebrate the dedicated service of court volunteers, with 43 volunteers receiving the awards this year as they mark 10 or 15 years of service with the State Courts. More information on the various court volunteer awards and the full list of Long Service Award recipients are available in Annex B.

Issued by: Singapore Courts
7 October 2026

Annex A – Profiles of the Outstanding Court Volunteer Award and LASCO Long Service Award Recipients

Outstanding Court Volunteer Award (Advocate & Solicitor Category)

Ms Gloria James-Civetta is the founder of GLORIA JAMES-CIVETTA & CO (GJC Law), which she established in 2011, and has almost 30 years of legal experience. Her practice spans family law, criminal defence, civil litigation, estate and probate matters, corporate and commercial disputes, as well as arbitration and mediation, bringing this extensive and wide-ranging experience to her role as a volunteer mediator with the State Courts.

As a family law practitioner, her cases span across the spectrum of family law and include complex financial and custody cases, assisting clients in achieving settlements even in highly acrimonious matters.

Ms James-Civetta joined the State Courts’ panel of Associate Mediators, now known as Court Volunteer Mediators (CVMs), in 2011 and has dedicated 15 years of service to mediating civil cases at the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster (CDRC). Over the years, she has distinguished herself through her strong commitment, professionalism and passion for helping parties resolve their disputes. 

Ms James-Civetta’s dedication to her role as a CVM is reflected in her active participation in mediation sessions. During the award qualifying period from April 2025 to March 2026, she volunteered on 10 occasions, surpassing the minimum threshold of three sessions per year, with her cases achieving an overall settlement rate of 83 per cent. In the preceding three years, from April 2022 to March 2025, she volunteered on a further 22 occasions, also well above the average number of sessions undertaken by her peers.

What continues to motivate Ms James-Civetta is the opportunity to help parties find a way forward when they have reached an impasse. She values how mediation allows parties to be heard, better understand each other’s positions and explore practical solutions without necessarily continuing down the path of litigation. She continues to find it rewarding when parties resolve their differences and leave mediation with greater clarity and a sense of progress.

Beyond her volunteer work with the State Courts, Ms James-Civetta is an accredited Family Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and Family Justice Courts. She has also attained certification in Mediating Disputes from the Harvard Mediation Program, received mediation training at Regent’s University London, and completed the Oxford Programme on Negotiation at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She was appointed as a Child Representative Lawyer and has also qualified as a Parenting Coordinator and Collaborative Family Practitioner. She is a Certified Therapeutic Justice Practitioner and a Certified Divorce Coach®, complementing her legal practice with a structured approach to helping individuals navigate the practical and emotional challenges surrounding divorce and separation.

In addition to the Outstanding Volunteer Award (Advocate and Solicitor category), Ms James-Civetta will also receive the 15-Year Long Service Award.

Outstanding Court Volunteer Award (Open Category)

Mr Koo Nam Kok is a former securities firm dealer and remisier and is an accredited mediator with extensive mediation experience. He is an elected Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb), and an accredited mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre, the Singapore International Mediation Institute, the Consumers Association of Singapore and the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre.

Mr Koo has volunteered with the Community Courts and Tribunals Cluster (CCTC) for 10 years, contributing his time and mediation experience to helping parties resolve their disputes. From April 2025 to March 2026, he attended 52 mediation sessions and mediated 15 cases, achieving an overall settlement rate of about 87 per cent. 

Mr Koo’s commitment extends beyond scheduled mediation hours and he readily gives additional time to help parties work through their differences and reach amicable resolutions. He believes that the key to effective mediation lies in listening, understanding the issues at stake and what the parties are seeking, while staying true to what he calls the “3Ps” – Passion, Perseverance and Patience. He credits his mediation experience with making him a better negotiator and a more patient listener, and believes that listening attentively helps build trust and encourages parties to share their concerns and needs.

Among his memorable experiences was a dispute over a training contract conducted through eMediation, a real-time messaging platform where the parties neither saw nor heard one another. Despite the challenges of communicating solely through text, including a period when one party stopped responding, Mr Koo persevered and helped the parties reach a settlement within two hours. 

Drawing on these experiences, Mr Koo sees volunteer mediation as a rewarding and continuous learning journey. He believes that beyond the “3Ps”, mediators must be prepared to commit to professional training and maintain the high standards needed to help parties resolve community disputes effectively.

Outstanding Court Volunteer Award (Student Category)

Mr Jasper Yeo Chang Zhen is a recent law graduate of the Singapore Management University (SMU) and has been actively involved in pro bono activities. He previously supported a research project on negotiation and dispute resolution with the SMU Pro Bono Centre, assisting with research and literature reviews, as well as the administration of research participants.

As a volunteer under the Student Representatives Programme, Mr Yeo assisted self-represented persons at the State Courts’ Service Hub with navigating the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS), including general filing matters relating to small claims, employment claims, harassment cases and neighbour disputes.

A memorable experience for Mr Yeo was assisting a couple over several visits with putting together an application relating to a dispute with their neighbour. The experience showed him how, even as a student, he could use his skills to provide practical assistance to court users who needed support.

Mr Yeo distinguished himself through his exceptional level of participation in the programme. From 2 June to 31 July 2025, he volunteered for 18 full days at the Service Hub, committing to both morning and afternoon sessions and clocking a total of 72 pro bono hours, the highest among his peers. This amounted to nearly 40 per cent of the entire volunteering period. Throughout his service, Mr Yeo demonstrated an ability to engage meaningfully with members of the public, assisting court users with care and professionalism. 

Mr Michael S Chia is the Founder and Managing Director of MSC Law Corporation. He was called to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 1997 and admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1998.

His practice centres on litigation and dispute resolution, with a particular focus on criminal and family law. He also has broad experience in civil litigation, including debt recovery, contractual disputes, intellectual property, equity and trusts, defamation, personal injury, employment, and construction and renovation disputes. He also advises small and medium enterprises and registered societies on corporate and other legal matters.

Mr Chia has a longstanding commitment to pro bono work and access to justice. He has served as Lead Counsel on the LASCO panel since 2000, handling 24 LASCO cases, and also serves on the panel of volunteer lawyers for the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.

Among his memorable LASCO cases was one involving a client facing the death penalty whose conviction was ultimately set aside by the Court of Appeal after inconsistencies were identified in the chain of custody of the drug exhibits. The case reinforced for Mr Chia the importance of examining even seemingly minor inconsistencies when a person’s life is at stake. 

After more than 25 years of LASCO work, he remains motivated by the opportunity to use his experience as a lawyer to help others at some of the most difficult points in their lives, which he regards as both a privilege and a serious responsibility.

Mr Chia has also been an Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre since 2015 and with the Law Society Mediation Scheme since 2016. He is a Member of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

Beyond legal practice, Mr Chia contributes actively to community and public life, including appointments to disciplinary panels and leadership roles with school alumni societies. He has served numerous terms as a Council Member of the Law Society of Singapore since 2003, including as Treasurer from 2005 to 2007 and again from July 2023 to 2025.

Mr Pratap Kishan is the Founder of Kishan Law Chambers LLC, which he established in 2019, driven by his desire to serve a wider spectrum of society and provide affordable legal solutions. He was called to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 1998 and admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1999. 

He has been in active legal practice in Singapore since then, with a wide-ranging practice encompassing civil and commercial disputes, criminal litigation, matrimonial matters, general solicitors’ work, arbitration and dispute resolution. 

His litigation experience includes acting as Lead Counsel in criminal trials before the High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as handling civil trial and appellate matters.

Mr Kishan has been actively involved in pro bono legal work for more than two decades. He was emplaced on the LASCO panel as Lead Counsel in 2000 and has since handled 21 LASCO cases. He also volunteered previously with the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme of the Law Society of Singapore where he handled pro bono cases for the needy facing criminal charges. He is also a volunteer with the Jamiyah Legal Clinic, where he provides legal advice to members of the community across matters relating to family and matrimonial disputes and the division of property. He is also a volunteer lawyer with the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association.

His continued commitment to pro bono work stems from his belief that navigating and understanding the law may be daunting for those facing legal problems. Through providing legal advice and assistance, he hopes to help them resolve their legal issues, better understand their legal options and help ensure access to justice for those in need.

Mr Nicholas Aw Wee Chong is a Director of Imperial Law LLC. He was called to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in 1992 and admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1994. His areas of practice include private client and corporate matters, company and offshore advisory, intellectual property planning and protection, and advising on business structures.

Mr Aw has appeared at all levels of the Singapore court hierarchy, from the State Courts to the Court of Appeal. He has also appeared in hearings before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Strata Titles Board.

Mr Goh reflects that no two cases are the same, with each presenting different challenges. After more than 25 years of LASCO service, he remains motivated by the opportunity to help his clients and the knowledge that their loved ones continue to hope for them. For him, LASCO work is not about remuneration or recognition, but about giving his best to those he represents.

Annex B – Court Volunteer Awards and Long Service Award Recipients

About the Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation Award 

The Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation Award recognises the sterling contributions of court volunteers, who have assisted and supported the Judiciary’s various programmes for self-represented persons and court users. Comprising members of the Bar, professionals and individuals from diverse backgrounds, court volunteers play an important role in the Judiciary’s effort to ensure that everyone who needs to access justice before the courts is able to do so. 

Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards 

The Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards (Advocate & Solicitor category, Open category and Student category) are conferred by the State Courts and presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication as volunteers. The Outstanding Court Volunteer Awards were presented to Ms Gloria James-Civetta (Advocate and Solicitor category), Mr Koo Nam Kok (Open category) and Mr Jasper Yeo (Student category).

Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences (LASCO) Long Service Awards 

The LASCO Long Service Awards, conferred by the Supreme Court, are presented to volunteers who have contributed to LASCO for more than 25 years. Under the scheme, volunteers assist those who are charged with capital offences, regardless of nationality, on a pro bono basis.  The LASCO Long Service Awards were presented to Mr Michael Soo Chia, Mr Pratap Kishan, Mr Nicholas Aw Wee Chong and Mr Laurence Goh Eng Yau.

Long Service Awards  

The Long Service Court Volunteer Awards recognise court volunteers who have given their continued support and valuable time in serving the courts. The Long Service Awards were presented to the following individuals for their service at the State Courts: 

Factsheet on the Young Independent Counsel Scheme

About the scheme

           The Young Independent Counsel (YIC) scheme provides young lawyers with opportunities to develop their advocacy skills while assisting the court in cases involving novel or complex questions of law or issues of wider public importance. Introduced in 2009, the YIC scheme was originally known as the Young Amicus Curiae scheme. It was renamed the YIC scheme in conjunction with the implementation of the Rules of Court 2021, as part of efforts to use court terminology that is easier to understand.

2        Prior to 2026, the scheme only applied to cases before the General Division of the High Court. In 2026, the scheme was expanded to include suitable cases before the Appellate Division of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. 

Application and appointment of YICs

3        Applications for the YIC scheme open around the end September each year. The application requirements include good academic grades, being a qualified person under the Legal Profession Act, having at least two years of experience as an advocate and solicitor or a Legal Service Officer and/or Judicial Service Officer, and being within 10 years after becoming a qualified person. In short, the YIC scheme is targeted at promising young lawyers who are still at an early stage of their career.

4        Applicants are required to submit an online application together with supporting documents, including their law school transcripts, a piece of written work, at least one recommendation from a Judge or an eligible member of the legal profession, and their Instrument of Admission (if applicable).

5        YICs are appointed for a one-year term, after which they may apply for re-appointment.  

How YICs are assigned

6        The court reviews cases to identify those that may benefit from YIC assistance. Broadly, YIC assignment may be recommended where a case raises novel or complex legal issues, matters of public significance or issues involving conflicting judicial authorities. Where a case is considered suitable, a suitable YIC will be identified from the panel of YICs appointed for the year and the YIC will be provided with a set of questions which the court wishes to be addressed on.

7        When assigned to a case, the YIC’s role is to conduct legal research on the questions posed to the YIC and prepare written submissions for the court’s consideration. The YIC will also attend the hearing of the case and make oral submissions to the court. The YIC acts independently and does not act for either party to the case.  

8        Past cases in which YICs have been appointed include Mohamed Erzan Taib Zohri v Public Prosecutor and other appeals [2026] SGHC 183, concerning the appropriate sentencing framework for young offenders for scams-related offences; Eng Beng v Lo Kok Jong [2023] SGHC 63, which addressed novel questions on the recoverability of medical subsidies and grants as damages; Syed Fathuddin Putra bin Syed A Rahman v Public Prosecutor [2023] SGHC 338, where the YIC assisted the court in developing a sentencing framework for offences involving duty-unpaid cigarettes under the Customs Act; Public Prosecutor v CRH [2024] SGHC 34, involving the punishment for attempts under the Penal Code; and Envy Asset Management Pte Ltd (in liquidation) and others v CH Biovest Pte Ltd [2024] SGHC 46, an originating application by liquidators for a declaration under the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act concerning the recoverability of sums paid to the defendant.

Benefits of the YIC scheme to the legal system

9        The scheme offers wider benefits to the court and Singapore’s legal system. YICs bring fresh perspectives from a neutral standpoint on novel or difficult questions of law, helping the court and parties consider a wider range of viewpoints. Their research and submissions can also contribute to the development of Singapore jurisprudence, with resulting judgments potentially guiding future cases.

Benefits of being appointed as YIC

10      The scheme provides young lawyers valuable courtroom experience and written and oral advocacy opportunities that help them build their confidence and gain greater visibility within the legal profession. These are opportunities which young lawyers may otherwise not receive early in their careers.

Recognition of YICs

11      In cases where YICs have been appointed, the courts have consistently expressed their appreciation for the assistance provided by the YIC in their published judgments. At this year’s annual Judiciary Volunteers Appreciation event on 7 October 2026, the YIC appointed in 2026 will be presented with a certificate of appreciation for their contributions in assisting the court and supporting the administration of justice.

12      For more information on the YIC scheme, please visit the Singapore Courts website here. The full list of 2026 YICs and profiles of selected YICs are at Annex A, while statistics on YIC appointments and assignments over the past six years are at Annex B.

Annex A

The 2026 YIC panel comprises the following:

*A profile of Ms Ng Li Shan, Iris, is included below, together with the profiles of two past Young Independent Counsel.

Ms Iris Ng was emplaced on the Young Independent Counsel (YIC) scheme in 2025 and 2026. 

She is currently counsel at Helmsman LLC, where she focuses on shipping and trade disputes, representing clients before the Singapore courts as well as in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Prior to entering private practice, she served as a Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court and as State Counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers, where she handled a wide range of contentious matters.

What attracted Ms Ng to the YIC scheme was the opportunity to contribute to the development of Singapore jurisprudence and work on topical legal issues.

Most recently, Ms Ng was assigned as YIC for a set of seven Magistrate’s Appeals which concerned, amongst other issues, the appropriate sentencing framework for young offenders for scams-related offences, a matter of significant public interest given the prevalence of such offences in Singapore today.

Ms Ng obtained her LL.M. from Harvard Law School after graduating from Singapore Management University as Valedictorian of her LL.B. cohort. She was the recipient of several academic prizes, including Dean’s Scholar Prizes for international trade law and the international law of the sea, and the Bird & Bird Prize for her research paper on commercial conflict of laws. 

Mr Jonathan Trachsel was appointed to the Young Independent Counsel (YIC) scheme in 2023. He was made a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution department at Allen & Gledhill earlier this year, where he practises in commercial litigation and arbitration. His experience spans corporate disputes across the technology, hospitality and commodities sectors, as well as shareholders' disputes involving share subscriptions, joint ventures and investment agreements.

Mr Trachsel saw the YIC scheme as an exceptional opportunity to hone his advocacy skills and gain valuable experience that young lawyers may otherwise not ordinarily encounter early in their careers. During his time on the YIC panel, he was assigned two matters spanning criminal and civil law. 

In the criminal matter, he appeared before the High Court where he assisted a three-Judge coram in developing a sentencing framework for offences involving duty-unpaid cigarettes under the Customs Act. In the civil matter, he appeared before the General Division of the High Court in a personal injury case involving a novel question on whether government subsidies and grants covering a portion of the claimant’s medical expenses were recoverable as damages as an exception to the rule against double recovery. Mr Trachsel described making submissions before a three-Judge coram as an unparalleled advocacy experience at that stage of his career. He also valued the opportunity to deeply consider the legal issues in the cases and to put forward his independent views on them.

Prior to joining Allen & Gledhill, Mr Trachsel served as a Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a LL.B. (Hons) degree (First Class) in 2017, and received several academic prizes, including the Adrian Clark Memorial Medal and the Thomson Reuters Prize in International Commercial Litigation.

Ms Koh Swee Yen, SC, was emplaced on the Supreme Court's Young Amicus Curiae scheme, now known as the Young Independent Counsel (YIC) scheme, in 2010. Appointed Senior Counsel in 2022, she is today Head of International Arbitration and a Partner at WongPartnership LLP, and is widely regarded as a global leader in litigation and international arbitration.

Having started her legal career as a Justices’ Law Clerk at the Supreme Court, Ms Koh was drawn to the scheme by the opportunity to contribute to the development of Singapore law while honing her advocacy skills. 

As an amicus curiae, she assisted the High Court in a case on a specific issue of law: whether certain provisions in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act applied to professional misconduct committed outside Singapore.

She approached the issue from an independent and objective perspective, coupled with a deep analysis on the law. It also gave her the chance to consider not only what the law is, but what it should be. Her experience on the scheme later proved useful when she was involved in Singapore’s first investment arbitration case before the Court of Appeal in 2016, in which amici curiae were appointed, helping her better navigate the process.

Ms Koh holds prominent roles in the international arbitration community. She has been appointed to the International Council for Commercial Arbitration Governing Board and is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration. She sits on the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association, and was a former Vice-Chair of the International Bar Association Arbitration Committee. She also sits as an arbitrator, and is one of only four designees appointed by Singapore to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Panel of Arbitrators. 

Ms Koh is ranked among the best advocates in dispute resolution by various legal publications, including The Legal 500, Chambers Global and the Lexology Index, where she is recognised as a Global Elite Thought Leader in Arbitration, Thought Leader in Commercial Litigation and Global Leader in Asset Recovery and Energy. She was named Woman Lawyer of the Year (2026), Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year (2024) at the Asian Legal Business Southeast Asia Law Awards and Litigation Lawyer of the Year at The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2023.

Annex B

The number of YICs appointed and the number of assignments they received over the past six years.