Seminar on Telecommunications Law | PLC On-the-job Training | Visit by Participants of the Singapore Co-operation Programme | Visit to the Health Sciences Authority | Forum on Legal Pitfalls in Info-comm Technology ('ICT') | No Need to Bring an Umbrella, but do Bring a Kite
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From L to R: Mr Matthew Glynn, Mr
Andrew Grant, |
There is burgeoning interest amongst the legal profession in the telecommunications industry, as was evident from the interested crowd that gathered at the Seminar on Telecommunications Law held at the Mandarin Hotel on 13 July 2001.
Chaired by Mr Tan Tee Jim, SC, this seminar was organised by the Info-Media Sub-Committee of the Law Society's Intellectual Property Committee and hosted by the Law Society. The speakers were Andrew Haire, Senior Director, Regulations and Operations, Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, Andrew Grant, Nortel Networks and Matthew Glynn, Linklaters Allen & Gledhill. Invitations were extended beyond the profession and representatives from the local telecommunication service providers and industry were also present.
Andrew Haire spoke at length on the regulatory climate in Singapore, focusing in particular on the Code of Practice for competition in the provision of telecommunication services in Singapore. This was of great interest as regulations to foster and promote competition are being introduced in Singapore for the first time. Andrew Grant complemented Andrew Haire's presentation by giving the industry point of view and highlighting the commercial considerations of a network vendor; while Matthew Glynn nicely rounded off the presentations by setting out the issues that the legal profession has to be mindful of when negotiating telecommunication service contracts.
Following the presentations, Michelle Lim, Starhub Pte Ltd, was invited on stage to join the three speakers to answer questions from the floor. The many specific questions raised by the audience suggested an in-depth understanding and analysis of the relevant issues and reflected the keen interest of our legal profession on this area of law. At the close of the seminar, tokens of appreciation were given to each participant.
It augurs well for the profession that such seminars will raise the level of awareness of, as well as educate the profession in, evolving policies and industry trends in new technologies and industries, such as the telecommunications sector.
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The Seminar attracted a large crowd |
Rizwi Wun
White & Case, Colin Ng & Partners
On 1 August 2001, the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme ('CLAS') commenced the on-the-job training programme for postgraduate Practical Law Course ('PLC') students with a mass briefing at the Subordinate Courts Auditorium.
This year, 90 PLC students will be on attachment with the CLAS. They will have an opportunity to practise interview skills and most of these interviews will be conducted with applicants who are in remand. The programme will extend well into October 2001.
Clinical training is considered an essential part of the overall education of students intending to be qualified as advocates and solicitors in Singapore. The attachment with CLAS provides students not only with practical opportunities, but will also expose them to community service and direct contact with less fortunate persons in our society. During their attachment with the CLAS, the students will undergo supervision by the CLAS staff and they will be required to participate actively in the application process. They will take statements relating to the means test, as well as record the statement of offence from the accused person. The students will also be required to analyze the information and submit a considered recommendation on whether criminal legal aid should or should not be granted.
Dr Lincoln Wee
Criminal Legal Aid Scheme
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Participants of the Singapore
Co-operation |
The Law Society hosted a meeting with participants of the Singapore Co-operation Programme on Saturday, 4 August 2001.
The participants comprised judges, court administrators, government officials, legal experts and legal officers, hailing from various countries in the ASEAN region, namely Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand.
The visit was hosted by the Vice President, Mrs Arfat Selvam, who was assisted by Council members and members of the Law Society's International Relations Committee. Mrs Selvam spoke briefly on the co-operation between the Law Society and the Singapore judiciary. In particular, she highlighted the fact that the Law Society conducts frequent dialogue sessions with practising lawyers to find out their concerns and suggestions regarding Civil and Criminal Procedure, proposed changes in legislation and other such issues. Feedback from our members is then relayed to the courts by way of representations and meetings, as well as the formation of joint committees with representatives from the courts.
It was pointed out that, through these dialogues and joint committees, the Law Society and the courts ensure a free and frank exchange of views and experiences. Each party is able to share their unique perspective on issues and provide a point of view that the other party may not otherwise be privy to. This increases the depth of perception of both parties and also enables both parties to understand the other's position. Decisions and solutions achieved by these means are, therefore, more likely to be beneficial to all parties involved in the administration of justice.
The delegates also showed immense interest in the 'public service' work which the Law Society performs through the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, Law Awareness Exhibitions and free legal counselling services, to name a few.
After an enthusiastic Question-and-Answer session, our guests were treated to a sumptuous buffet lunch of Singapore cuisine at the Re:Lex Lounge. They were then brought on a tour of our premises before proceeding to the next stop of their intensive programme.
Adeline Ang
Law Society of Singapore
The Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Committee organised an educational visit to the
Health Sciences Authority ('HSA'),
a recently re-modelled statutory body. Almost 40 members of the bar signed up
for the visit which was held oan Saturday, 11 August 2001. The group visited the
Centre for Forensic Medicine and the Centre for Forensic Science, two out of the
eight professional centres under the HSA.
The four-hour programme commenced with a detailed presentation by Dr Chow Shui Tse, Director at the Centre for Forensic Science. Dr Chow outlined the services provided by the Centre, identified international certification for its procedures and emphasised the independence of the restructured Centre as a professional institute. The presentation was followed by a tour of the various laboratories within the Centre for Forensic Science, such as the Criminalistic Lab, Narcotics Lab, DNA Profiling Lab and Documents Examination Lab. The various tours were made even more interesting by the sharing of personal experiences between the staff guides/scientific experts and several members of the criminal bar.
The second presentation was conducted by Dr Paul Chui, Director at the Centre for Forensic Medicine. Dr Chui gave an animated and graphic account of the work done by the Centre, which left unforgettable impressions of lifeless bodies in the mind's eye. Dr Chui spent a significant portion of the presentation fielding eager questions from the participants and dispelled several myths. For example, Dr Chui opined that jumping off the eighth floor of a building was akin to bungee jumping, but without a rope tied to the feet. The jumper was therefore unlikely to 'pass out' halfway down, as is commonly believed, but was more likely (barring heart conditions) to be conscious on impact. Ouch!
Unfortunately, a tour of the mortuary could not be conducted as it was undergoing extensive refurbishment. Dr Chui informed us that the new facilities would allow visits from professional bodies to observe the work of the forensic scientists but without unnecessary exposure to potential biological hazards. The regular smells associated with such a facility would, nevertheless, still be preserved. A tour of the refurbished facilities will be organised in the near future. Keep a lookout for the announcements.
Dr Lincoln Wee
Criminal Legal Aid Scheme
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Mr Liew Heng San, |
The Law Society, in conjunction with the Ministry of Law and Info-comm Development Authority of Singapore ('IDA'), organised a forum cum networking tea on 'Legal Pitfalls in Info-comm Technology'. This forum, held at Le Meridien Singapore on Friday, 3 August 2001, attracted a good turnout of 50 Law Society members and 80 participants from Info-comm companies and representatives from IDA, the Ministry of Law, the Attorney General's Chambers, the Singapore Academy of Law, the Supreme Court and the Economic Development Board.
The idea for this forum was first mooted by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Law, Mr Liew Heng San, who was aptly the guest-of-honour at this evening event. The objective of the forum was to provide a platform for guests from the technology sector to meet up with members of the legal profession and allow both parties to connect, so that the legal specialists could provide legal services to the technology industry.
In her introductory speech, the Vice President of the Law Society of Singapore, Mrs Arfat Selvam, warmly welcomed all the participants to this first-of-its-kind event and underlined the importance of seeking legal advice on technology issues. 'Doing business has increasingly become more complex, especially so in this cyberspace age ... . The interaction between corporate chiefs, business associates and practising lawyers during such an event as we have today, will help us lawyers to better understand your business needs,' Mrs Selvam stressed.
In his speech, Mr Liew Heng San gave the background of how this forum came about. The Ministry of Law has formed a committee to develop Singapore into a centre for ICT law, and this forum was proposed as one of the avenues to help meet this objective. Another major reason, Mr Liew disclosed, was that business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce sales are expected to increase phenomenally. The implication of this growth is an increased demand for ICT legal services. The widespread perception, however, is that there is a lack of local expertise on ICT law, thereby leading ICT companies to rely on offshore law firms for legal services instead. It is Mr Liew's vision that this misconception be corrected and that forums such as this be held so that the local lawyers may display their knowledge and skills in ICT law.
The forum took off with a short talk on 'Due Diligence in Funding and Acquisition' by Mr Jim Lim, Chairman of the Law Society's IT Committee, followed by Mr Rama Tiwari, a member of the same committee, giving his views on 'Managing Risks in Outsourcing'. Various members of the committee later took turns to address questions from the floor.
A delicious tea followed, which saw participants cleverly juggling plates of food, while making their 'networking' rounds. A novel idea was also tested out for the first time at this forum, which saw a scarcity of seats and more standing room instead. This was to allow participants to freely circulate around the room, and judging from the way people mingled, exchanged business cards and shared views, this free standing format, not to mention the forum itself, was a resounding success, and would certainly pave the way for similar forums in the future.
Sharmaine Lau
Law Society of Singapore
The plethora of international legal conferences has created a market place that competes for the attention of an ever time-short legal profession. It has become increasingly clear that in order for an international conference to attract sufficient delegates, it must be a premier event. The conference must offer a comprehensive range of material in its work programme, as well as opportunities for participants to network with colleagues of the region. It must also provide top quality legal education through utilising contemporary methods of delivery by stimulating and informed presenters.
Ultimately, every international legal conference must deliver what it implicitly promises: a chance for legal professionals to step back from daily routine, to refresh and expand their legal knowledge, to develop a wider view of the law internationally and to remember and re-examine the ethics that are fundamental to the legal profession.
LAWASIA, with the experience of 17 biennial and numerous other international and regional conferences behind it, is fortunate to have developed an unparalleled reputation for its ability to fully deliver a meaningful conference experience to participants.
The 17th LAWASIA Biennial Conference will be held from 4 to 8 October under the umbrella Law Conference 2001. Law Conference 2001 is a departure from the norm for LAWASIA in that it is a joint conference, combining the triennial conference of the New Zealand Law Society and the fourth conference of the NZLS Family Law Section. The result is a conference programme that is comprehensive, with a delegate attendance guaranteed to be diverse and interesting, and an assured opportunity for meaningful interaction with a wide range of legal professionals from the region.
The depth of the programme best speaks for itself. It can be accessed at the conference website on www.nz-lawsoc.org.nz. As the conference nears, the process of refining and improving the programme continues and delegates will find a wide choice of pertinent sessions to attend.
Expected conference attendance is always a draw card for intending delegates.
We are delighted to advise that the 10th Conference of Chief Justices of the
Asia Pacific will also be held around Law Conference 2001 and will ensure that
Chief Justices of the region have a presence at the conference.
A high-profile delegation from India is expected to include the Minister of Law
for India, the Honourable Mr Arun Jaitley, as well as the Indian Attorney
General, the Honourable Mr Soli Sorabjee. It is hoped that both will play a role
in the conference programme. The New Zealand judiciary have also been
overwhelming in their response to the conference. Such a level of support from
senior members of the profession is a real indicator of the quality that the Law
Conference 2001 programme experience expects to provide.
Legendary New Zealand hospitality and ingenuity are the final ingredients in the recipe for success of the Law Conference 2001. Our hosts, the NZ Law Society, represented by the organising team from the Canterbury District Law Society, have worked tirelessly and inventively to create a social programme that ranges from football and kite flying to dramatic performances and cultural events. Again, the offerings are sufficiently diverse as to defy full description in this short article, and potential delegates are directed to the website (www.nz-lawsoc.org.nz) for full details; they will not be disappointed.
LAWASIA, the NZLS and the NZLS Family Law Section extend the warmest invitation to all practitioners in the region to join them at the premier international legal event of this year, the Law Conference 2001. We would be pleased to assist with any queries and contact details are as follows:
LAWASIA, The Law Association for Asia & the Pacific
GPO Box 3275
Darwin, NT Australia
Tel: +61 8 8946 9500
Fax: +61 8 8934 9505
E-mail: lawasia@lawasia.asn.au
Law Conference 2001 Secretariat
Conference Innovators
PO Box 1370
Christchurch, New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 379 0390
Fax: +64 3 379 0460
E-mail: infor@conference.co.nz