The JuSTICE Project, funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), supported the Lao People’s Supreme Court (PSC) in organising a three-day specialised workshop on Judicial Reasoning and the Grounds of Judgment from 16 to 18 September 2025 in Vientiane. The training brought together 30 judges, including 10 women, from different levels of courts to enhance their ability to deliver clear, structured, and well-reasoned judicial decisions.
The workshop was facilitated by Mr Jean-Paul Jean, Honorary President of the Chamber at the French Court of Cassation and Secretary-General of AHJUCAF, a network of more than 50 Francophone supreme courts. Drawing on over four decades of judicial practice, legal training, and international cooperation, Mr Jean led the sessions through a pragmatic, comparative, and highly interactive approach.
The training combined conceptual discussions on judicial reasoning and independence with hands-on group work, mock hearings, and deliberation simulations. Participants formed five groups to construct their own criminal and civil cases, conduct simulated hearings, and draft corresponding judgments based on the evidence presented. Through these exercises, judges examined the structure and logic of judgments, used simplified models for reasoning, and explored how to present decisions clearly and transparently. The simulations reproduced the full trial sequence from the presentation of arguments to collective deliberation, and concluded with reflective discussions on how to reach a balanced decision founded on law and fact.
Mr Jean guided exchanges on comparative techniques of reasoning and collegial decision-making (deliberation), encouraging participants to reflect on how strong motivation in judgments underpins judicial independence and public confidence in the justice system. This learning-by-doing approach proved highly engaging: participants drafted five judgments, both civil and criminal, which were then presented and discussed collectively in plenary sessions. Group reflections and peer feedback allowed judges to refine their reasoning, improve clarity of expression, and adopt good practices transferable to their daily work.
At the end of his mission, Mr Jean paid a courtesy visit to the People’s Supreme Court, where he met with the Court’s Vice-President. The meeting paved the way for future cooperation between the French Court of Cassation and the People’s Supreme Court of Lao PDR, particularly in areas of judicial training, methodology, and the exchange of good practices.
This training marks an important step in the JuSTICE Project’s partnership with the People’s Supreme Court to improve the quality of judicial decisions. Building on this success, discussions are already under way for a second phase focusing on more complex cases and advanced reasoning methods.
