The middle of the year has arrived.

For Council, the month of June will be a month to take stock of what has been done in the past half-year and what needs to be done to strengthen and assist our profession and serve the community in the coming months. On 28 June 2003, Council plans to meet to review our workplan for the year and discuss strategic and policy issues.

There is no denying that, so far, 2003 has been difficult. Our Asian economies did not have a strong start to the year. We had hoped for the tide to turn. The then possible war against Iraq dominated the first quarter of the year and, just as the battle for Iraq was over in April and we thought the tide had indeed changed, Asia faced an unexpected threat, the SARS virus.

The sudden and immediate impact of this virus was devastating to say the least on our economy.

As a nation, we faced our first natural disaster. By early April, it was clear Singapore’s economic health would be adversely affected by the deep impact of this new threat on all sectors.

As a nation we faced a war against an unseen enemy. Our doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who fought the illness on the frontline were heroes.

We embraced new ways of living and working; we acted in unity, with compassion and understanding. We did not allow our fears to rule us irrationally. We focused on knowing the facts and not allowing gossip or hearsay to be our only channel for information.

I am proud to say, during the SARS crisis, as a profession, we did not allow fear to divide us; we saw unity in strength, we were measured in our behaviour and thought. We planned for the worst but worked for the future.

Law practices turned to other law practices to act as covers in the event a particular law practice was quarantined by an outbreak of SARS. There was immediate mutual support.

I write about our national and professional response to the SARS outbreak because there are life lessons we as a profession can take away from this experience. Lessons that we should take to heart as we face the rest of the year.

Lesson one, in a time of crisis, recognition of a problem must precede change.

Lesson two, in a time of crisis, take responsible action and make responsible judgments based on an understanding of the facts.

Lesson three, in a time of crisis, tough changes can only be carried out if each of us shows unity and leadership.

These lessons will be the subject of discussion by Council at its workplan review meeting. As leaders of the profession, tough decisions must be made, as we must think of the long-term strength and standing of the profession in the community.

The results of our audit with a cross- section of 36 members of the profession will tell us ‘what’ and ‘why’ we have not done right and help us decide on proposals to recommend change. Recognition precedes change.

The audit was carried out with members who represent large, middle, small law practices, of the Junior, Middle, Senior categories, both male and female. The results will be shared with you and certainly discussed at the workplan review.

When the fixed scale fees for conveyancing costs were abolished in February, Council knew it had a duty to the public and you, to guide and advise as to what was ‘fair and reasonable’ fees for the work we do. We proceeded to set fair fee guidelines after a study and a dialogue with you. Responsible action, after understanding the facts.

Council began to address the problem of public concern over our integrity of the profession in March this year, for we knew we had to take the lead to answer the concerns of the public. We knew we had to start a review of our current Solicitors’ Accounts Rules. We sought feedback on our proposals, had constructive dialogue with you and carried out a survey on our proposals with all law practices. Tough changes required leadership from all of us.

When we crisis manage, we evaluate an event’s effect on how we work or practice and take measures to address the crisis. We look at business recovery and see what tools we need to do this. We develop a plan for recovery. We support our staff and their families to strengthen our spirit of unity in a time of crisis.

Why can’t the checklist for crisis management be a permanent tool to use to meet the challenges we face as professionals and help us all move forward?

It may be a novel mindset from which to look at the future of the profession and the Society.

Arfat Selvam
President
Law Society of Singapore