PART V Requirements relating to
practice training contracts |
18.—(1) A solicitor shall not be the supervising solicitor of a practice trainee unless the solicitor —| (a) | is in active practice in a Singapore law practice; and | | (b) | for a total of not less than 5 out of the 7 years immediately preceding the date of commencement of his supervision of the practice trainee, has in force a practising certificate. |
| (2) A supervising solicitor who is a solicitor of not less than 12 years’ standing must not supervise more than 4 practice trainees at any time. [S 824/2014 wef 15/12/2014] |
| (2A) A supervising solicitor who is a solicitor of less than 12 years’ standing must not supervise more than 2 practice trainees at any time. [S 824/2014 wef 15/12/2014] |
| (3) A solicitor practising in a Singapore law practice shall not contravene paragraph (2) or (2A) by reason only of his participation in any arrangement under rule 20(2) to provide a practice trainee of another Singapore law practice with exposure to any area of practice referred to in rule 19(b). [S 824/2014 wef 15/12/2014] |
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| Responsibilities of supervising solicitor |
19.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a supervising solicitor shall ensure that each practice trainee under his supervision —| (a) | receives adequate training, during the practice training period, in such matters as the Board of Legal Education may specify before 3rd May 2011 in any guidelines issued under rule 10 of the Legal Profession (Practice Training Period) Rules 2009 (G.N. No. S 469/2009) in force immediately before that date, or as the Institute may specify on or after that date in any guidelines issued under rule 23, including matters relating to professional responsibility, etiquette and conduct; | | (b) | is exposed, during the practice training period, to 2 or more areas of practice selected from the following areas of practice and from such other areas of practice as the Board of Legal Education may approve before 3rd May 2011, or as the Institute may approve on or after that date, on application by the supervising solicitor:| (i) | civil litigation; | | (ii) | criminal litigation; | | (iii) | corporate practice; | | (iv) | conveyancing practice; and |
| | (c) | attends, during the practice training period, such courses, workshops and programmes as the Board of Legal Education may specify before 3rd May 2011 in any guidelines issued under rule 10 of the Legal Profession (Practice Training Period) Rules 2009 in force immediately before that date, or as the Institute may specify on or after that date in any guidelines issued under rule 23. |
(2) Where a practice trainee —| (a) | has received relevant legal training (being supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law under a formal training arrangement with a Singapore law practice) for a continuous period of not less than 6 months under rule 6(c)(ii), 7(c)(ii), 8(1)(iii)(B), (2)(iii)(B) or (3)(ii)(B)(BB), 9(1)(b)(ii)(B), (2)(b)(ii)(B) or (2A)(b)(ii)(B) or 9A(1)(c)(ii)(B) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules (R 15); and | | (b) | has been exposed, during the period of his relevant legal training, to any area of practice referred to in paragraph (1)(b)(i) to (iv), |
| his supervising solicitor, instead of complying with paragraph (1)(b) in relation to him, need only ensure that he is exposed, during his practice training period, to one or more other areas of practice referred to in paragraph (1)(b), if the Board of Legal Education before 3rd May 2011, or the Institute on or after that date, on application by the supervising solicitor, so approves. |
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| Responsibilities of Singapore law practices under practice training contracts |
20.—(1) A Singapore law practice which provides a practice trainee with supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law under a practice training contract shall ensure that —| (a) | the practice trainee —| (i) | is supervised by a supervising solicitor in active practice in the Singapore law practice; and | | (ii) | is based in Singapore; and |
| | (b) | the supervising solicitor performs his responsibilities under rule 19 and any guidelines issued under rule 23. |
| (2) Where the Singapore law practice does not have the expertise or resources to provide the practice trainee with exposure to any area of practice referred to in rule 19(b), the Singapore law practice may arrange for him to receive that exposure in another Singapore law practice. |
| (3) A practice trainee shall be deemed to be supervised by his supervising solicitor during the period that he receives exposure in another Singapore law practice under paragraph (2). |
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| Registration of practice training contracts |
21.—(1) A Singapore law practice shall register with the Board of Legal Education before 3rd May 2011, or with the Institute on or after that date —| (a) | every practice training contract under which the Singapore law practice provides to a practice trainee supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law; and | | (b) | in relation to each such practice training contract, the particulars of the practice trainee and his supervising solicitor. |
| (2) A Singapore law practice shall, when it registers any practice training contract, declare to the Board of Legal Education or the Institute, as the case may be, the number of solicitors in the Singapore law practice who are qualified to be supervising solicitors on the date of commencement of the supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law under the practice training contract. |
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| Disclosure of details of supervised training |
22. A Singapore law practice which intends to provide supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law under a practice training contract shall publicise the details of the supervised training —| (a) | on the Internet website, if any, of the Singapore law practice; or | | (b) | on such other Internet website as the Institute may specify in any guidelines issued by the Institute under rule 23. |
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23.—(1) The Institute may, from time to time, issue guidelines for the purposes of this Part.| (2) The guidelines issued under paragraph (1) may explain, clarify or provide examples or illustrations to explain or clarify any requirement under rules 18 to 22. |
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