Council Updates
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NEWS |
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Council Updates |
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20 January 2004
Council discussed whether lawyers who applied for de-linked practising certificates as locums should pay lower membership subscription fees. Council agreed that in-principle this should be allowed. Council also decided on a flat members’ subscription fee of $500 and an exemption from paying the Society’s annual building levy.
Mr Gan Hiang Chye, Chair of the Conveyancing Practice Committee advised Council that the Society would proceed to write to the Attorney-General to enclose the draft SRES Rules to allow lawyers to act for sellers in a conveyancing transaction and to act as real estate agents.
The President advised Council that he was working with the CLAS Committee to prepare an information kit to obtain more stable funding for the work of CLAS by approaching Foundations for commitments for long-term funding.
He also advised Council that the Law Society’s annual charity golf tournament in aid of CLAS would be held in late August this year and an ad hoc committee comprising CLAS and Sports Committee members and other volunteers would organise the event.
Council was advised that this new standing committee would adopt a definition of ‘small firm’ to mean law firms with three or less lawyers of which there were 490 firms.
Mr Loo Ngan Chor, who is Chairman of the Committee, advised Council that he had sent letters to all proprietors and partners of these 490 firms to invite them to serve on the new committee.
Council was advised that the following dialogue sessions were planned. A dialogue session with the 10 largest law practices on 29 January 2004, a session with medium-sized practices on 12 February 2004, sole proprietors on 27 February 2004 and with the Senior Counsel Caucus on 9 March 2004.
Mr Peter Low, who chairs the ad hoc committee, advised the meeting that he had written a letter to the Registrar of the Subordinate Courts advising him that Council’s three Practice committees, namely, Family, Civil and Criminal, would give feedback on the Courts’ workplan initiatives when consulted.
13 February 2004
Council decided that next year’s workplan session be open to all members interested to attend. Council also decided that formulation of the Society’s annual workplan go through a two stage process. In August/September, Council consults with chairs and members of the Society’s standing committees and with their feedback, Council-elect for the year would meet and finalise the Society’s workplan for the next year.
A mid year review of this year’s workplan would take place.
Council decided that the final MDP report be circulated to members with an executive summary. A dialogue session would then be held with members to obtain their feedback and views on the report in April 2004, before Council discusses the report.
Council was taken through the secretariat’s proposal to improve the Members’ Homepage to make it easier for members and their support staff to access useful information on this page without having to key in their user ID and password.
Council agreed that certain sections of the Members’ Homepage would still need to be accessed through user IDs and Passwords to protect confidentiality of information that is posted for Members’ attention only.
The secretariat would begin work with Calendar One that hosts the Society’s Homepage to make the changes.
Council noted the terms of the reply from Mr Tan Kin Lian, CEO of NTUC indicating that he would be pleased to have a dialogue with the Law Society. Council decided that the President and the Vice Presidents meet Mr Tan for a dialogue.
Council considered the request of the Old Parliament House to borrow the wig of the late Sir Ronald Braddell that has been in the Society’s possession for display at the Constitutional Gallery for a period of two years. Council agreed to the terms of the loan.
Council decided to invite the following members to serve as lay persons, Mr Leo Cheng Suan, Mr Thio Shen Yi, Mr Mohan Pillay and Mr Naresh Mahtani.
