The Society’s Two Free Seminars on Recent Amendments to the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules

Council was given a status report on the two seminars held to brief members of the changes to the Rules that took effect on 1 April 2004. A total of 300 members and their support staff attended both seminars. Based on the questions raised, a FAQ section would be posted on the Society’s website for members’ reference. The names of the approved bookkeepers would also be posted on the website for members’ convenience in due course.

Meeting Between the Criminal Practice Committee and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (‘AGC’) on the Pilot Criminal Case Management System (‘CCMS’)

Mr Chia Boon Teck reported that 12 criminal lawyers attended the meeting where teething problems with the CCMS were discussed. As a result, the AGC was studying improvements to the pilot system. A second dialogue session with members would be held in April 2004.

Re-design of the Society’s Members’ Only Homepage

The re-design of the Homepage would be launched after 1 May 2004. The re-design would enable members to access items now only found on Members’ Homepage on the main Homepage. This would enable support staff of law practices to access practice information .

A Membership Brochure for Newly Admitted Practitioner Members

Council members, Mr Montague Choy, Mr Anand Nalachandran and Ms Jacintha Thannimalai were tasked to work on the contents and design of a brochure to welcome and describe to new members the services and programmes of the Society. 

Further Dialogue Sessions with Members

Council agreed to hold another dialogue with members, particularly smaller firms, sometime in June.  

Status Report on the Dialogue Session with Members on the Pilot Criminal Case Management System (‘CCMS’)

Mr Chia Boon Teck updated Council on the dialogue session held on 7 April 2004 with members. He advised Council that  few members attended the session held in the Subordinate Courts’ Bar room. Present at the session were also representatives
from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (‘AGC’).  

Feedback on the pilot CCMS was positive and the Society would work with the AGC to improve the system.  

Status Report on Approval of Book-keepers

Council was given a status report by the CEO. Council was advised that over 250 law practices were approved to engage or employ book-keepers. A large majority of law practices had engaged book-keepers followed by employment of staff for this purpose and a few law practices had engaged accounting firms.  

A Concept Paper for a New Pro Bono Project of the Law Society Called ‘LawHelp’

The report prepared by an ad hoc committee chaired by Mr N Sreenivasan set out the objectives of this project which was to have a panel of volunteer law practices give of their time to do pro bono non-contentious legal work for volunteer organisations. A pilot project would be launched to help four identified volunteer organisations. 

A fax mailer would be sent to law practices to volunteer for the pilot project. Council would decide on the four law practices that would participate in the pilot project. 

An E-Annual Report for the Law Society

Council agreed to amend the Society’s General Meeting By Laws to allow the Society to produce either a print or an electronic annual report. Council noted that other Law Societies, notably the Law Society of England and Wales, had made such an amendment to their laws.  

Council studied a paper presented by the Publications Committee on the production of an e-annual report. 

Mission Report on the Law Society of Singapore’s Joint Seminars with the Shanghai and Zhejiang Bar Associations

The President had attended the seminars co-organised by the Society with 14 lawyers from 25 to 27 March 2004. Mr Jeyaretnam reported that it was a fruitful mission. The mission was supported by International Enterprise Singapore. Seminars were attended by a total of 170 Chinese lawyers and covered topics on arbitration in Singapore, listing on the Singapore stock exchange, Free Trade Agreements of Singapore, intellectual property protection and anti-dumping laws. 

Council was also advised that the Shanghai Bar was keen to re-start an attachment scheme with the Society under the MOU signed with the All China Lawyers’ Association some years ago. Council requested the International Relations Committee to study the proposal to re-start the attachment programme for Chinese lawyers.

Council agreed to hold another dialogue with members, particularly smaller firms, sometime in June.  

Status Report on the Dialogue Session with Members on the Pilot Criminal Case Management System (‘CCMS’)

Mr Chia Boon Teck updated Council on the dialogue session held on 7 April 2004 with members. He advised Council that  few members attended the session held in the Subordinate Courts’ Bar room. Present at the session were also representatives
from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (‘AGC’).  

Feedback on the pilot CCMS was positive and the Society would work with the AGC to improve the system.  

Status Report on Approval of Book-keepers

Council was given a status report by the CEO. Council was advised that over 250 law practices were approved to engage or employ book-keepers. A large majority of law practices had engaged book-keepers followed by employment of staff for this purpose and a few law practices had engaged accounting firms.  

A Concept Paper for a New Pro Bono Project of the Law Society Called ‘LawHelp’

The report prepared by an ad hoc committee chaired by Mr N Sreenivasan set out the objectives of this project which was to have a panel of volunteer law practices give of their time to do pro bono non-contentious legal work for volunteer organisations. A pilot project would be launched to help four identified volunteer organisations. 

A fax mailer would be sent to law practices to volunteer for the pilot project. Council would decide on the four law practices that would participate in the pilot project. 

An E-Annual Report for the Law Society

Council agreed to amend the Society’s General Meeting By Laws to allow the Society to produce either a print or an electronic annual report. Council noted that other Law Societies, notably the Law Society of England and Wales, had made such an amendment to their laws.  

Council studied a paper presented by the Publications Committee on the production of an e-annual report. 

Mission Report on the Law Society of Singapore’s Joint Seminars with the Shanghai and Zhejiang Bar Associations

The President had attended the seminars co-organised by the Society with 14 lawyers from 25 to 27 March 2004. Mr Jeyaretnam reported that it was a fruitful mission. The mission was supported by International Enterprise Singapore. Seminars were attended by a total of 170 Chinese lawyers and covered topics on arbitration in Singapore, listing on the Singapore stock exchange, Free Trade Agreements of Singapore, intellectual property protection and anti-dumping laws. 

Council was also advised that the Shanghai Bar was keen to re-start an attachment scheme with the Society under the MOU signed with the All China Lawyers’ Association some years ago. Council requested the International Relations Committee to study the proposal to re-start the attachment programme for Chinese lawyers.