A lay judge, sometimes called a lay assessor, is a person assisting a judge in a trial.
Lay judges are used in some civil law jurisdictions.
Lay judges are appointed volunteers and often require some legal instruction.
However, they are not permanent officers.
There are five judicial areas1 in Belgium, each of which has a Court of Appeals (Cour d'Appel / Hof van Beroep) and a Labour Court of Appeals (Cour du Travail / Arbeidshof). the Commercial Court acts as appellate court, its decisions are only subject to review by the Supreme Court.
The court is composed of thirty judges with life tenure who are nominated by the High Council of Justice of Belgium and appointed by the Belgian federal government.