CHAN LAW

24/07/2026

It happened again. Found at least 4 recent judgments/decisions/rulings where a citation does not match, a quote does not exist in the earlier judgment, the name of the judicial officer given does not match, a link to a PacLii case does not match....
From judicial officers least expected to make those errors. Are we seeing double? AI gone wrong? research officer/secretary gone rogue? Help!

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04/07/2026

Yes, it's 4th of July. We made it through another year of challenges. We're still living and breathing the law, in different ways. Cheers to us, Prem Narayan. Justice, freedom and the liberation of the soul.

01/07/2026

Sore loser unemployed father of 3 doesn't want to look after a 3 year old child while his wife, the sole breadwinner, goes to work. Wife tells him she will take the children and live elsewhere, then. He gets annoyed, hit her head, hands and thigh with a metal stake, used to husk coconuts! The other 2 children, aged 8 and 10, plead with him to stop the violence. Prize: 2 years in jail. He serves 1 year, while 1 year is suspended for 3 years. Well, if you can't do one home task, don't pass go, just go straight to jail. You don't have to look after the children for 1 year!

09/06/2026

Following the last post, we received a few questions: how are these laws set out? Do you annotate all the laws? Do you have a list of the laws available? Well, maybe a photo of one of the pages of one of the laws, for demonstration, will help answer. Yes, there are over 400+ laws and we happen to research the statutory amendments of them all, adding case references where available. There are several parts: original statutory text, historical amendments, comparison with previous revisions, especially 1985 edition, 2016 version service 0, comments by judicial officers in and out of court, comments by author to explain certain changes, reference to any conventions Fiji has signed, reference to related laws, reference to related definitions, a pictorial/photo on the law to add colour, a copyright claim, a glossary of commonly used terms. Wow, so many aspects to consider. There is a word which sums up this work: jurisprudence.
To ask for a quote, please email [email protected].

21/05/2026

The lift door opened, and in comes a lawyer. He sees a huge bag. It's law texts to be delivered to another law firm further up. "Oh," he says, "I didn't know you do this.". Well, his firm did order a well-referred-to-text a while ago, so he's excused. We refer him to a person who ordered the text in his firm. As the doors open on the 8th floor, it's a different atmosphere, with a welcoming party. All smiles from ear to ear. The principal, Amani Bale, poses for the camera like a seasoned pro. "Yes, we use your laws all the time. Most useful.". Thank you to our repeat subscriber. So glad to be of service. Hope you're winning your cases.

18/04/2026

Sharing this, which appeared on newsfeed, about critera for a just war, in light of USA's claims it and Israel's bombing of Iran (February 28, 2026) is with the hand of god. Does it fit the criteria? Talks between USA and Iran were still continuing when the first bombs obliterated a school! Hoping for peace, common sense to prevail.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Just War Doctrine.

11/04/2026

Waited anxiously the last 3 days, not because an American President threatens to wipe out one civilisation of Iran, or the consequences that follow from that, but whether and how the local social media will remember the 17th anniversary of that fateful "Black Friday" day 10 April 2009, which changed our lives forever: the abrogation of Fiji's 1997 Constitution. Nothing. Anti-climax!
Instead, there were reassuring stories of getting on with consultations for review of the 2013 Constitution. Yes, seems they are moving on. Got a call from a subscriber asking which law allows the team to go out to do this? Wasn't there a law passed recently? Looked at laws of Fiji page. Nothing passed in 2026. Looked at Parliament page. Yes, 3 Acts passed, but nothing to do with constitution review. There was a national referendum bill. No, not yet an Act, still a Bill. Subscriber suggested just a cabinet approval, then. Prove our subscriber wrong.
The last Yash Ghai task was presented as a process of law. The 1996 Reeves, Vakatora, Lal exercise didn't seem to require a law, neither did the 1990 Ravuvu exercise. What we have is lots of reports. Bit like the review of liquor laws reports. They piled up.
Armageddon didn't happen on the 17th anniversary. Still live to tell the tale. Waited the whole day of 10th, night, next day for a sentence!
Instead, Pope Leo XIV called for prayers for peace. 🕊️ The world watched anxiously whether 4 astronauts would return to Earth safely after circumnavigating the moon. 🌛
What will the 18th anniversary look like? Here, let's have ice cream while we ponder. 🍦

04/03/2026

Across the carpark, spotted this giant of a High Court judge, Justice Penijamini Lomaloma. How often does one get a chance meeting? Ran towards him, whipped out the phone. Turns out he's the poster judge for May in the Judiciary's 2026 calendar (I want one!), setting a first for a High Court sitting in Rabi last year. Yes, still using the High Court Act and Rules he purchased in private practice. "I refer to it all the time", he says. Thanks, your Lordship.

15/02/2026

新年快乐. 祝你身体健康.

06/02/2026

When are the amendments to Employment Relations Act going to pass Parliament? As if we know. Bumped into the Minister in October, and he said December 2025. Still waiting. Some told us they would pause a purchase until amendments come out, but one law firm is brave. It waited too long. It needs to give proper advice to its clients. The new look annotated Employment Relations Act contains references to cases from the tribunal not yet made public. The e-copy links case references to PacLii. PacLii gave permission to link. The wait is over. 995 pages packed with precedents, history and judicial comments. Yours to own.