Council Updates

23 August 2002

A Forum Section on the Members Only Website of the Law Society
Council was informed that the Forum Section directed by Council to be designed for members to give feedback on four main areas of practice would be ready for launch on 1 October 2002. Members will receive their passwords to access the ‘members only’ section in late September.

Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’) of the Law Society 2002
Council decided that an update would be given to members at the AGM on the work done by the Solicitors Real Estate Scheme’s ad hoc committee.

Launch of the E-learning Portal of the Law Society
Council approved the official launch of the e-learning portal for members of the Law Society (to access e-learning courses) on Friday, 25 October 2002, the date of the AGM.

Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Charity Golf Tournament
This year’s Charity Golf Tournament, organised by the Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Committee to raise funds for the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (‘CLAS’), will be held at the Orchid Country Club on Sunday, 24 November 2002.

Law Society’s Council Elections
Council agreed to invite all members presently serving on the various committees of the Law Society, who are Singapore citizens, to consider standing for Council elections this year as these members have demonstrated an interest to serve the profession, community and the Law Society.

Free Legal Counselling at the Supreme Court’s Open House
The Registrar of the Supreme Court has requested the Law Society to run legal clinics during the Court’s Open House from 29 November to 1 December 2002. About 125 lawyers would be required to run these clinics for the period requested by the Registrar.

Council agreed to support the effort and tasked the Law Awareness Committee to undertake the project.

Proposed Meeting Between the Economic Development Board and the Law Society on Promoting Legal Services in Singapore
The President, together with members of the Council, Mr Yang Ing Loong and Mr Suresh Damodara, and a member of the International Relations Committee, would attend the meeting scheduled for September 2002.

Annual Meeting of the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia (‘POLA’)
The Law Society of Thailand has invited Council members to attend the Conference. Council agreed that a delegation, comprising Mr Palakrishnan, SC, Mrs Arfat Selvam, Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, and the Chairpersons of the Young Lawyers Committee, Mr Montague Choy and Ms Helen Chia, attend the meeting. Accompanying them will be the CEO, Ms Yasho Dhoraisingam.

The theme of this year’s Conference will focus on the work of bar associations in Asia to develop Young Lawyers programmes, regulating the profession as regards advertising and protection of third parties, and pro bono work.

13 September 2002

Forum Section of the Law Society’s Website
As the official launch of the e-learning portal would take place on Friday,25 October 2002, Council agreed to a suggestion that the Forum Section of the Law Society’s website be show-cased during the launch in order to encourage members to visit both the e-learning module and the Forum Section.

Report of the Resource Panel on Lawyers Leaving Practice
The Resource Panel, comprising several senior members of the Law Society, the Vice President, Mrs Arfat Selvam, and the President, made recommendations to help reduce the number of lawyers leaving practice. These recommendations include having a mentor scheme where opportunities are created for younger lawyers to mix with the senior lawyers who could be role models and mentors for the younger lawyers. Another recommendation was for the Law Society to assist in the clinical programme run by the National University of Singapore’s Law Faculty to help students get a taste of practice and be involved in legal aid and law awareness programmes. Council accepted all the recommendations of the Resource Panel report.

Guidelines for the Appointment and Responsibilities of Assigned Counsel for Capital Cases
A copy of the draft guidelines drawn up by the Law Society’s Criminal Practice Committee to set out duties and responsibilities of assigned counsel in capital cases had been submitted to the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had indicated that it would study the same and revert to the Law Society.

Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Consultation Paper for the Law Society’s Comments
The Corporate Practice and Criminal Practice committees have been tasked to study the report and respond to Council on its views on the paper. The views of the Law Society would be forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Report on the Law Society’s Legal Mission to China
Mr Jimmy Khoo, the Director of Membership Services, who travelled with the Law Society’s legal mission to China in August, reported to Council that the legal mission was a success, with positive feedback from members who went on the mission. In his paper, Mr Khoo also said that International Enterprise Singapore would support an initiative to hold an annual seminar to be held by the Law Society and the Shanghai Bar Association. This annual seminar would give lawyers in Singapore and China an opportunity to network and exchange ideas.

‘Thank You’ Luncheon for CLAS Volunteers
The Director of Community Relations, Mr Gokul Haridas, reported that 150 Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (‘CLAS’) volunteers attended the ‘thank you’ luncheon at the Peninsular Excelsior Hotel on Saturday, 7 September 2002. Forty-seven Certificates of Appreciation were given to members who had served as volunteers to defend impecunious accused persons. The President, Mr Palakrishnan, SC, addressed the gathering, which included psychiatrists, psychologists, and interpreters from about five countries.