Law Society of Singapore

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The headquarters of the Law Society of Singapore at South Bridge Road Law Society of Singapore - 20120103-02.jpg
The headquarters of the Law Society of Singapore at South Bridge Road
Law Society of Singapore
Formation1967;57 years ago (1967)
Type Bar association
PurposeTo serve its members and the public by sustaining an independent bar which upholds the rule of law and ensures access to justice
Headquarters Maxwell Chambers
Region served
Singapore
Official language
English
President
Lisa Sam Hui Min
Website https://www.lawsociety.org.sg/

The Law Society of Singapore is an organisation which represents all lawyers in Singapore. The Law Society of Singapore is a law society and is analogous to what is called a Bar Association in many countries and should not be confused with the Singapore Academy of Law.

Contents

The society's motto is "An Advocate for the Profession, An Advocate for the Community." The Law Society moved its premises from South Bridge Road to Maxwell Chambers in 2019. [1]

Activities

The society provides services and support to lawyers in Singapore, does advocacy for issues affecting its members, publishes the Law Gazette, and operates a pro bono scheme to provide access to justice for those who may not be able to afford it. [2] [3] Other services that it offers include:

It also publishes advisories and guidelines for lawyers relating to various matters, including ethics and professional responsibility [9] and advertising of legal services. [10]

Committees

The society has various standing committees tasked with managing particular issues or areas of practice, including an advocacy committee, alternative dispute resolution committee, civil practice committee, information technology committee, amongst others. [11]

Disciplinary proceedings

Under the Legal Profession Act 1967, when the Council of the Law Society receives a complaint against a lawyer, it will refer the complaint to the Chairperson of the society's Inquiry Panel, who may constitute a Review Committee to review the complaint.

The Review Committee will determine whether the complaint is frivolous, vexatious, misconceived, or lacking in substance and should therefore be dismissed, or should be referred to the Chairperson of the Inquiry Panel, who will then constitute an Inquiry Committee to inquire into the complaint.

The Inquiry Committee will report its findings and recommendations to the Council, who will decide if a formal investigation is necessary. If it does so determine, it may apply to the Chief Justice to appoint a Disciplinary Committee to hear and investigate the matter.

If the Disciplinary Committee finds that there has been cause of sufficient gravity for disciplinary action to be taken against the lawyer who is the subject of the complaint, the Law Society will make an application to the Court of Three Judges for an appropriate order against the lawyer, such as an order that the lawyer be censured, fined, suspended, or struck off the roll. [12] [13]

Leadership

YearPresidentRef
1963–1964 Tan Chye Cheng [14] [15]
1965Mr Po Guan Hock
1966C. F. J. Ess
1967C. C. Tan
1968H. P. Godwin
1969–1972G. Starforth Hill
1973–1974M. Karthigesu
1975–1977H. L. Wee
1978M. Karthigesu
1979Phyllis P. L. Tan
1980–1983T. P. B. Menon
1984–1985 Harry Elias SC
1986 Francis Seow
1987–1989Giam Chin Toon SC
1990–1992C. R. Rajah SC
1993–1994 Peter Cuthbert Low
1995–1997Chandra Mohan K. Nair
1998–1999George Lim Teong Jin SC
2000–2002Palakrishnan SC
2003Arfat Selvam
2004–2007 Philip Jeyaretnam SC
2008–July 2010 Michael Hwang SC
August 2010–2012 Wong Meng Meng SC
2013–2014Lok Vi Ming SC
2015–2016 Thio Shen Yi SC
2017–2021Gregory Vijayendran SC
2022–July 2023 Adrian Tan Gim Hai Died while in office [16]
July 2023 - November 2023Jason Chan Tai-Hui SC [17]
November 2023Lisa Sam Hui Min [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Vijayendran, Gregory. "President's Message". Singapore Law Gazette.
  2. ↑ "Free legal help for victims' kin". The Straits Times. 29 January 2005.
  3. ↑ "The Law Society of Singapore". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  4. ↑ "Email Dissemination Service – The Law Society of Singapore". www.lawsociety.org.sg. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  5. ↑ "Unclaimed Money Fund – The Law Society of Singapore". www.lawsociety.org.sg. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  6. ↑ Vijayan, K. C. (2018-03-20). "Parliament: New Law Society fund to benefit those eligible and in need of free legal services, says Indranee". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  7. ↑ "Parliament: New framework for Law Society to handle unclaimed client money". The Business Times. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  8. ↑ "Dispute Resolution Schemes – The Law Society of Singapore". www.lawsociety.org.sg. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  9. ↑ "Ethics & Professional Responsibility – The Law Society of Singapore". www.lawsociety.org.sg. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  10. ↑ Siow Li Sen (8 March 2006). "Law Society studies permitting referral fees". Business Times.
  11. ↑ "Standing Committees 2023 – The Law Society of Singapore". www.lawsociety.org.sg. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  12. ↑ "The New Procedure for the Consideration of Complaints by the Law Society and Other Amendments to Disciplinary Proceedings under the Legal Profession Act". Law Society - Council Bulletin. 1 December 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Teo, Sarah Hui Yan. "Iskandar bin Rahmat v Law Society of Singapore". Case briefs by the Singapore Management University. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  14. ↑ Auto, Hermes (2017-11-10). "Law Society confers lifetime achievement award on 'friend of the underdog' | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  15. ↑ "Portrait of Mr. C.C. Tan, Member of Singapore Legislative Council - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  16. ↑ "Law Society president Adrian Tan dies aged 57". CNA. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  17. ↑ ChengCorrespondent, Ian (2023-07-23). "Senior Counsel Jason Chan is new Law Society president following Adrian Tan's death". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  18. ↑ Xuan, Yong Li (2023-11-07). "Law Society elects first female president in 20 years". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2023-11-09.
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