BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The clarity, certainty and finality on land ownership is needed if Brunei is to be able to attract foreign and local investors and gain their confidence.

According to local media on Wednesday, this is emphasized by On Hung Zheng, the newly elected President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam.

"This will greatly benefit the financial sector, the construction industry and the legal profession, among other industries," he added.

During the opening of Brunei's Legal Year 2018, On highlighted the challenges faced by the legal profession under the current economic climate, which has led to a slowdown in the property and construction related industries as well as the SME business sector, as there is a direct proportion in the profitability of these sectors to their capacity to hire counsel for legal services.

On matters of intestacy, On mentioned the unsatisfactory state of the current law governing the distribution of property of a non-Muslim who has passed away in Brunei, pointing out that there are often different or contradicting opinions provided by experts which may result in disputes between family members, which usually end with ugly and costly litigations.

On also announced the re-commencement of the legal aid clinic and expressed his hope that the authorities could consider the establishment of a legal aid fund to help the less fortunate members of the public in both criminal and civil cases.