D. Satkauskienė, Head of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of Lithuania: Strong Self-Governance of Judicial Officers Strengthens the Rule of Law

As private judicial officers in Kosovo commemorate a decade of professional activity, the Head of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of Lithuania, Dovilė Satkauskienė, encouraged her colleagues in this Balkan country to further strengthen professional self-governance and focus on internationally recognised priorities for improving judgment enforcement.

“Strong professional self-governance among judicial officers, adaptation to the changes of the digital age, and the development of legal services provided by judicial officers are key factors in strengthening the role of private judicial officers and upholding the rule of law,” emphasised D. Satkauskienė during an international conference held on November 15 in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.

According to D. Satkauskienė, the experience of Lithuania’s private judicial officers, who have now entered their third decade of activity, has consistently demonstrated that strong self-governance enables the judicial officers’ community to engage in legislative processes actively. This includes not only responding to proposed legal changes but also initiating necessary reforms themselves. Strong self-governance reinforces safeguards to ensure the legitimate interests of each member of the judicial officers’ community are adequately protected. This is particularly crucial given the constant risks they face, whether from the hostility of debtors or the potentially biased evaluations of their actions by responsible authorities.

During the conference, while representing the International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), D. Satkauskienė highlighted the international codes developed and published by the organization as universal guidelines for the professional activities of judicial officers. These include the  Global Code of Enforcement and the Global Code of Digital Enforcement.

As digital property has emerged as a distinct type of asset in recent decades, the practice of judicial officers in recovering digital property must also evolve. According to D. Satkauskienė, this presents a significant challenge for judicial officers worldwide due to a considerable lack of both legal regulation and professional expertise. Therefore, the global codes issued by the UIHJ can serve as a foundation for developing qualitatively new approaches to debt collection.

“The extensive transfer of judgment enforcement processes to the electronic space enhances the efficiency of debt collection and increases the accessibility of judicial officers’ services for all residents,” stated D. Satkauskienė. However, she also underscored the importance of consolidating judgment enforcement processes in the electronic domain. Judicial officers must be granted access to official registers and comprehensive information about debtors’ assets, and integrative information system interfaces must be established.

The Head of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of Lithuania admitted that the image of judicial officers is a complex issue in all countries, primarily due to the unpopular coercive functions they perform. However, in every country, the public tends to view the non-coercive services provided by judicial officers more favourably. These services, such as establishing factual circumstances, serving documents, and others, are not only beneficial in resolving legal disputes and helping individuals avoid them but also contribute to improving the overall image of judicial officers, noted D. Satkauskienė.

The conference organized by the Kosovo Chamber of Private Judicial Officers was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo, the Kosovo Judicial Council, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Dutch Balkans Enforcement Strengthening Project (BESP).

The Kosovo Chamber of Private Judicial Officers, established in 2014, currently comprises 45 judicial officers.

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