Translated from Lithuanian Republic of Lithuania Law on the National Courts Administration 14 March 2002 No IX-787 (As l

Translated from Lithuanian Republic of Lithuania Law on the National Courts Administration 14 March 2002 No IX-787 (As last amended on 15 July 2008 – No X-1715) Vilnius Article

1. National Courts Administration
2. The National Courts Administration shall be a budgetary institution providing services to courts and bodies of judicial self-governance, the purpose of which shall be to ensure, within its competence, administrative and organisational activities of courts and bodies of judicial self-governance.
3. The National Courts Administration shall be a legal person having its bank accounts and a seal bearing the coat of arms of the State of Lithuania and its own name.
4. The functions of the founder of the National Courts Administration shall be performed by the Supreme Court of Lithuania.
5. The National Courts Administration shall carry out its activities in compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law on Courts, this Law and other laws, other legal acts and its statute.
6. The National Courts Administration shall be a budgetary institution funded from the budget of the Republic of Lithuania.
7. The National Courts Administration shall be restructured, reorganised and liquidated by law. Article
8. Functions of the National Courts Administration For the purpose of fulfilling the tasks set out in the Law on Courts, the National Courts Administration shall perform the following functions: 1) prepare materials for the General Meeting of Judges and meetings of the Judicial Council, the Judicial Ethics and Discipline Commission and the Judicial Court of Honour; 2) provide technical services to the bodies of judicial self-governance, the Commission for the Examination of Candidates to Judicial Office, the Selection Commission, the Permanent Commission for the Evaluation of Judicial Performance, as well as working groups set up by the Judicial Council; 3) collect information about the execution of decisions taken by the bodies of judicial self-governance, as well as submit it to the Judicial Council and, on its instructions, to the General Meeting of Judges; 4) draft, within its competence, legal acts, decisions, resolutions and other documents of the bodies of judicial self-governance, approve legal acts relating to the organisational activities of the bodies of judicial self-governance, as delegated by the Judicial Council; 5) conduct annual surveys on the activities of courts and the bodies of judicial self-governance and present them to the Judicial Council; 6) organise and ensure centralised provision of basic office supplies and services to courts; 7) grant and pay state pensions to judges; 8) administer the database and personal files of judges; 9) administer the list of candidates to judicial vacancies at district courts and their personal files; 10) administer the register of persons seeking judicial promotion; 11) administer the databases of judges wishing to be transferred to another court of the same level or to a court of the same level but another jurisdiction and judges seeking promotion at courts of the same level; 12) administer the database of persons wishing to take the judicial qualification examination and their personal files, organise the taking of the judicial qualification examination; 13) collect information about the administrative activities and organisational work of courts, present surveys to the Judicial Council; 14) conduct studies, analyses, surveys on the administrative and organisational activities of courts, except for the administration of justice, put forward proposals concerning the improvement of the administrative activities and organisational work of courts; 15) analyse the working conditions in courts, put forward proposals to the Judicial Council concerning their improvement; 16) analyse and survey the grounds and trends for violations of substantive and procedural law, which lead to reversing or quashing court decisions, judgements and rulings, as well as present surveys to the Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice; 17) conduct internal audit in courts, as well as in the National Courts Administration; 18) compile, analyse and summarise the needs of courts concerning draft estimates of state budget programmes and submit this information to the Judicial Council; 19) compile, analyse and summarise the needs of courts for state investments, submit information to the Judicial Council on investment projects (investment programmes) proposed by courts; 20) draw up strategic action plans of the National Courts Administration, draft ongoing state budget programmes, draft estimates of programmes and investment projects (investment programmes); 21) collect, analyse and summarise the statistical data of courts; 22) set up and administer databases related to the activities of the National Courts Administration, manage investments related to common court information systems, implement these investment projects, organise the development and installation of information systems in courts, carry out the administration and improvement of common court information systems; 23) publish decisions of courts and international judicial institutions specified in the Law on Courts; 24) publish decisions adopted by the bodies of judicial self-governance; 25) inform the public about the activities of the bodies of judicial self-governance and the National Courts Administration; 26) every year submit annual activity reports of the National Courts Administration to the Judicial Council; 27) as delegated by the Judicial Council, represent, within its competence, the Judicial Council before state authorities and other institutions on behalf of the interests of courts; 28) cooperate with other institutions of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as other foreign and international institutions on the issues of judicial self-governance, the administration of courts and other issues relating to the activities of courts; 29) handle individual applications, complaints and proposals falling within the competence of the National Courts Administration and take measures to resolve the issues raised therein; 30) in the manner prescribed by law, manage, use and dispose of the state-owned property transferred to the National Courts Administration in trust; 31) carry out other assignments of the bodies of judicial self-governance; 32) perform other functions provided for by laws and other legal acts. Article
9. Rights of the National Courts Administration
10. The National Courts Administration shall have the right to: 1) obtain information from the bodies of judicial self-governance, courts, other state and municipal institutions, agencies and organisations relating to the issues falling within the competence of the National Courts Administration; 2) set up commissions and working groups for drafting legal acts or solving other issues within the competence of the National Courts Administration, involve specialists from other institutions (upon agreement with their heads) in the said commissions and working groups; 3) process personal data in the manner prescribed by law.
11. The National Courts Administration may also have other rights granted to it by legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
12. Structure and the Organisation of Work of the National Courts Administration
13. The National Courts Administration shall be headed by the Director. He shall be accountable to the Judicial Council. The Director may have deputies.
14. Subject to approval by the Judicial Council, the Statute of the National Courts Administration shall be endorsed by the founder. The structure of the National Courts Administration, the maximum allowable number of positions of civil servants and employees working under employment contracts shall be approved by the Director of the National Courts Administration, in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law and in consultation with the founder.
15. The Director of the National Courts Administration shall be appointed by competition for a five-year term of office by the head of the institution performing the functions of the founder in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Law on Civil Service.
16. The position of the Director of the National Courts Administration may be filled by a person of good repute who holds a university degree in law, has a record of at least ten years of service in the legal profession and at least five years of professional experience in management.
17. The powers of the Director and Deputy Directors of the National Courts Administration shall be set out in the Statute of the National Courts Administration.
18. The staff of the National Courts Administration shall comprise civil servants and employees working under employment contracts. Article
19. Evaluation of Financial Activities of the National Courts Administration The evaluation of the financial activities of the National Courts Administration shall be carried out by authorised state institutions in accordance with the procedure prescribed by laws and other legal acts. I promulgate this Law passed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC VALDAS ADAMKUS Translated by K. Šatkuvienė [email protected]