The CLA is an accredited Commonwealth organisation and is represented at Commonwealth Heads of Government and Law Ministers meetings. The CLA works closely with the Political Affairs and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Divisions of the Commonwealth Secretariat, in addition to the Commonwealth Foundation.
The Commonwealth @ 60 Law Lecture
The Commonwealth Legal Forum, of which the CLA is a member, organised a very successful law lecture to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. Sir Shridath Ramphal O.E., G.C.M.G., O.M., OC.C, QC delivered the lecture titled “A Commonwealth of Laws: At Sixty and Beyond” and the Rt. Hon. Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG chaired the meeting. Ms. Mmasekgoa Masire – Mwamba, the Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth, delivered the vote of thanks.
The CLA, together with members from the Commonwealth Legal Forum, made a submission to the Consultation on Commonwealth membership in December 2006.
It was argued that the Commonwealth's current membership of 53 may be subject to a modest increase without losing the organisation's special identity, provided that new members comply with existing criteria in terms of having had a constitutional association with an existing member, compliance with Commonwealth values and acceptance of norms and conventions, in particular the use of English as the language of the Commonwealth.
The consultation was discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that took place in Kampala, Uganda in November 2007. We await publication of the outcome of the consultation.
Trial Observation
Saiful Bukhari Azlan vs. Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial, Kuala Lumpur February 2010
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association CLA together with the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) sent a joint international observer to the trial of Anwar Ibrahim vs. Saiful Bukhari Azlan in Kuala Lumpur which started on 03rd February 2010. The CLA is continuing to monitor proceedings in Mr. Ibrahim’s case.
Karpal Singh vs. the Sultan of Perak, Kuala Lumpur 12th – 22nd August 2009
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association CLA together with the Law Council of Australia (LCA), the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) and the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) sent a joint international observer to the trial of Karpal Singh vs. the Sultan of Perak in Kuala Lumpur from 12 – 22 August 2009. The CLA is continuing to monitor proceedings in Mr. Singh’s case.
