English to Vietnamese Law/Patents Law (general) Court hearing

As mentioned before, all matters generally start in the Magistrates Court. If they are minor offences, or indictable offences which are to be dealt with summarily, the matter will be heard in the Magistrates Court. At the defendant’s very first court appearance, the case will be “mentioned” before a magistrate.

A “mention” is a brief court appearance to settle issues such as legal representation, the defendant’s intended course of action when the matter will next come before the court, and bail (if not already granted by the police following arrest). If these issues are not yet settled, the court can adjourn (postpone) the case for a couple of weeks to allow time for either side to attend to any necessary matters.