25 April 2003

Status Report on De-linking Practising Certificates
Council was advised that the Law Society’s Brokers, Alexander Forbes, had sought the insurer’s views on the issue of premium rates for locum lawyers based on the following terms:

• Locums would not hold or receive client’s money.
• Locums may practise in more than one law practice at any one time.
• A lawyer must be appointed to supervise each locum in a law practice.
  

Based on these terms, the insurers would be asked to set the premium rates.

Amendments to the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules
The Solicitors’ Accounts Rules Committee members comprising Mr Low Chai Chong, Mr Tang See Chim, Mr Gary Pryke and Mr Cheong Yue Kuan attended before Council.

The Chairperson, on behalf of the Council, thanked the Committee for the work done so far and thanked Mr Low for the presentation he made at the dialogue session.

After discussions, Council unanimously decided that all the 115 members who made the written counter-proposals fine tune the same and nominate three members to work on the feasibility of their proposals with the Society.

All members will be advised on what had occurred at the dialogue and Council’s decision. The written counter-proposals would also be sent to all members.

Singapore Academy of Law’s (‘SAL’) EFS Review Committee — Presentation of Status Report by the Law Society’s Representatives
Mr Vinodh Coomaraswamy, Mr Andrew Chan and Mr Roy Yeo, the Law Society’s representatives of the EFS Review Committee, attended before Council.

Council was advised that the Committee would seek opinion and feedback from all law practices through a detailed survey questionnaire that was sent on 5 May 2003.

The representatives were thanked for their work on the Committee.

Status Report on an Audit with 36 Members by the Law Society’s Public Relations Consultants
Ms Yasho Dhoraisingam, the CEO, reported that the questions for the audit on perceptions of the Society, its work programmes and how it communicates with members had been circulated to Council, and three members of the Executive Committee had been specifically requested to review the questions.

Thirty-six members, representing one percent of the Bar as of 31 March 2003 and a cross-section of the profession, would be selected to participate.

The 36 members randomly chosen would represent lawyers from the Senior, Junior and Middle categories, male and female members, from small, medium and large law practices who practise both contentious and non-contentious work.

The audit would obtain members’ response to questions on the current issues/challenges facing the profession, and their perception of the Law Society, including its Secretariat.

Rescheduling of the Law Society’s Annual General Meeting 2003
As the date for the Deepavali public holiday had been changed to 24 October 2003, which was the original date scheduled for the Law Society’s Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’), Council agreed to reschedule the AGM to 22 October 2003.