Council Updates

Council 2001

The Council noted that Mr Goh Phai Cheng SC and Mr Ronnie Quek have been re-nominated by the Minister for Law as Statutory Members of the Council for a period of two years with effect from January 2001. The Council nominated Mr Goh and Mr Quek to represent the Law Society in the Senate of the Singapore Academy of Law. The President will also speak to various Senior Members about the possibility of being co-opted into the two remaining vacancies in the Council.

Council Workplan Meeting

Mr Naresh Mahtani, Chief Executive Officer, informed the Council that a survey has been sent to all Law Society Members asking for their feedback on the Law Society's services. Mr Leonard Loo and Mr Montague Choy, who were elected as Council Members in the Junior Category in the recent Council Elections, have been invited to attend the Council's Workplan Meeting.

Lawyers in Joint Law Ventures (JLVs), Law Corporations (LLCs) and Formal Alliances (FAs)

Ms Yasho Dhoraisingam, Director of Professional Standards and Membership Services, informed the Council that amendments will be made to the Solicitor's Accounts Rules to expand the definition of the term 'Solicitor' to include lawyers in JLVs.

The Practice Structures Committee has noted that the current wording of section 130(E)(3) of the Legal Profession Act indicates that a Singapore lawyer can submit only one accountant's report. However, law firms may still have a separate practice with a JLV, and lawyers in those firms would need to file two reports, for their two distinct roles as lawyers in their own firm and as members of a JLV. The necessary amendments will, therefore, have to be made to section 130(E)(3) of the Act.

A Wills Registry

Mr Vinodh Coomaraswamy, Chairman of the Civil Practice Committee, informed the Council that the Insolvency & Public Trustee's Office (IPTO) had, at a dialogue session held on 15 August 2000 with the Civil Practice Committee and the Corporate Practice Committee, disclosed that IPTO intended to establish a Wills Registry and had sought feedback from the Law Society.

IPTO's rationale for setting up a Wills Registry was that the present system of searching for wills via an advertisement in The Singapore Law Gazette is dependent on whether the solicitor sees the advertisement. The Wills Registry proposed by IPTO would lead to wills being filed with the Registry on a voluntary basis with clients' consent and make the task of searching easier. The Council decided that the Civil Practice Committee should obtain further information about the proposed Registry at a further dialogue session requested by IPTO on 20 November 2000.

4th LAWASIA Business Law Conference 2000

The 4th LAWASIA Business Law Conference 2000, which was jointly organised by LAWASIA and the Law Society, was held from 1 to 3 November 2000. Council Members had received feedback from Conference delegates and speakers that the Conference had been well organised and was a grand success.

Annual Dinner & Dance 2000

Mr David Nayar, Council Member, reported that 75 tables had been sold for the Law Society's Annual Dinner and Dance, and that the accounts will be finalised in several weeks.

POLA Conferences

Mrs Arfat Selvam, Vice-President, briefed the Council about the POLA 2000 Conference, which was held in New Delhi, India, from 28 to 29 December 2000. Amongst the issues discussed at the Conference was government-funded legal aid in member countries. Mr Palakrishnan, President, informed the Council that the 12th Annual POLA Conference, which will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand, in October 2001, will look into, amongst other things, a uniform code of conduct for all lawyers.