Council Update     

29 July 2005

Budget for the Society’s Financial Year from 1 August 2005 to 31 July 2006

Council approved the budget for the new financial year which would include the following:

a.  A transfer of $20,000 each to the Law Awareness and the Sports Meet funds.  

b.  The establishment of a new fund called a Pastoral Care fund with a grant of $10,000. This fund would be used to improve the general welfare of members. This fund would differ from the Welfare Fund, as the latter was used to assist members, former members or their dependants who were experiencing hardship. 

c.  A Conference fund of $20,000 for the organisation of conferences hosted by the Society. 

d.  A transfer of $20,000 to the Jus Curio Fund.
 

 Law Society’s Annual Dinner and Dance

Council noted that to date, 13 silver donation tables and one gold table had been sold as part of the Society’s efforts to raise funds for CLAS. Individual donations had also been received from members for CLAS. As it was the 20th anniversary of CLAS, as a gesture of appreciation, all CLAS volunteers can attend the annual dinner at half price. The Society, and not CLAS, will subsidise this for CLAS volunteers.
 

Second Status Report on the Law Awareness Project 2005

Mr Leong Yung Chang, as Council representative of the Law Awareness Committee, reported that the ‘Youth Crime’ programme had been launched with a series of school assembly talks at secondary schools in August that would carry on until October 2005. Members of the Society had volunteered to give these talks. A media release on the event had been issued. A newsletter called ‘Youth Times’ would be circulated to every secondary school student and a website would be set up. 
A teachers’ seminar on youth crime was planned for 13 August 2005, with Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, the Senior Minister for State for Law and Home Affairs, as the guest-of-honour. The project was supported by the Ministry of Education and the National Crime Prevention Council of Singapore. The total budget for the project was $40,900.
 

Criminal Discovery and Police Interrogation — Third Status Report on Submission of Paper to the Minister for Law on Criminal Discovery

Council was advised that Mr Peter Low and Mr Chia Boon Teck were working on the policy paper.

Deduction of an Administrative Charge by Banks from the Client Accounts of Law Firms

Mr Chia Boon Teck as Chairman of the Small Firms Committee reported that the Association of Banks (‘ABS’) had sent a circular to its member banks to instruct them to deduct administrative charges on the client accounts of law firms’ office accounts for client accounts whose balances fell below the minimum sum required. ABS was of the view that the waiver of minimum balance charges was a commercial decision and the ABS was therefore unable to instruct their member banks on waiver and advised that law practices negotiate this with their banks instead.  

Council decided that this information be published to members via eJus News.

Relations with NUS Law Undergraduates

Ms Jacintha Thannimalai, as co-chair of the Young Lawyers Committee, outlined the Committee’s plans with NUS to promote awareness of the Society amongst law undergraduates who would hopefully become involved with the Society following graduation. Some of the plans included:

a.  meeting law undergraduates; 

b.  a tea reception for the Law Club and the Pro Bono Society officer bearers of NUS; and   

c.  a Criminal Legal Aid Scheme attachment programme for members of the Pro Bono Society.

Proposal to Help Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) with Corporate Governance

Council agreed in principle to the Law Society and the Professional Affairs Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law organising a joint seminar on corporate governance for VWOs.

Law Society’s Nominees on Three New Singapore Academy of Law Standing Committees

Council approved Mr Jim Lim as the Society’s representative on the Electronic Litigation Committee, Mr George Tan on the International Promotion of Singapore Law Committee and Dr G Raman on the Legal Heritage Committee.