Legal Profession Act(CHAPTER 161)
Table of Contents
Long Title
Part I PRELIMINARY
1 Short title
2 Interpretation
Part II ADMISSION OF ADVOCATES AND SOLICITORS
Division 1 — Board of Legal Education
3 Establishment of Board of Legal Education
4 Purposes of Board
5 General powers of Board
6 Senate of Academy may give directions to Board
7 Board may approve certain persons as qualified persons
8 Constitution of Board
9 Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary
10 Meetings of Board
Division 2 — Qualified persons
11 Admission of advocates and solicitors
12 Qualifications for admission
13 Periods of pupillage
14 Service of pupillage
15 Admission of Malayan practitioners
16 Hong Kong practitioners
17 Petitions for admission under sections 11 (1) and 15 (1)
18 Petitions for admission under section 15 (2)
19 Service of documents and objections
20 Caveats and misrepresentations
21 Ad hoc admissions
22 Review of Board’s decision
23 Hearing of petition
24 Declaration, duty and roll
Part III PRACTISING CERTIFICATES
25 Practising certificates
25A Power of Attorney-General, Registrar and Council with respect to issue of practising certificates in certain circumstances
25B Appeals in connection with issue of practising certificates
26 Disqualification for practising certificates
27 Register of practitioners
27A Imposition of conditions while practising certificates are in force
27B Referral to Disciplinary Committee and suspension of practising certificates
28 Cancellation of practising certificates
Part IV PRIVILEGES OF ADVOCATES AND SOLICITORS
29 Privileges of advocates and solicitors
30 Appointment of Senior Counsel
31 Order of precedence of Senior Counsel in court
32 Qualifications to practise
33 Unauthorised person acting as advocate or solicitor
34 Qualifications to section 33
35 Sections 32 and 33 not to extend to certain arbitration proceedings
36 No costs recoverable by unauthorised person
Part V THE LAW SOCIETY OF SINGAPORE
Division 1 — Establishment, purposes and powers of society
37 Establishment of Society
38 Purposes and powers of Society
Division 2 — Members of Society and subscriptions
39 Membership
40 Practising solicitors to be members
41 Non-practitioner members
42 Honorary members
43 Privileges of membership
44 Expulsion and suspension of rights and privileges
45 Termination of membership
46 Annual subscription to Society
Division 3 — Council of Society
47 Council
48 Statutory members
49 Elected members
Division 4 — Election of Members of Council
50 Compulsory voting
51 Elections
52 Nominations
53 Insufficient nominations
54 Council’s term of office
55 Casual vacancies
Division 5 — Officers of Council
56 President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer
57 Vacation of office of member of Council
Division 6 — Powers of Council
58 General powers of Council
59 Specific powers of Council
60 Appointment of committees of Council
61 Power of Council to inspect files of proceedings in bankruptcy of solicitor or winding up of law corporation
62 Power of Council to accept gifts
63 Representation in court
Division 7 — Proceedings of Council
64 Meetings of Council
65 Expenses of members
66 Proceedings of Council and Inquiry Committee to be confidential
Division 8 — General meetings of Society
67 Annual general meeting
68 Extraordinary general meeting
69 Voting
70 Convening and procedure
Part VI PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE OF SOLICITORS
71 Rules as to professional practice, etiquette, conduct and discipline
72 Rules as to keeping of accounts by solicitors
73 Accountant’s report
74 Intervention in solicitor’s practice
75 Compensation Fund
75A Professional indemnity
75B Redress for inadequate professional services
75C Qualification to practise as sole proprietor or in partnership or as director of law corporation
75D Qualification to use title of consultant
76 Solicitors who are commissioners for oaths or notaries public
77 Solicitor not to act as agent for any unauthorised person
78 Solicitors’ clerks
79 Acting for housing developer and purchaser prohibited
80 Account by solicitor
81 Interim certificate
Part VIA LAW CORPORATIONS
81A Interpretation of this Part
81B Approval for law corporations
81C Name of law corporation
81D Effect of company becoming law corporation
81E Relationship between client and law corporation
81F Professional misconduct
81G Requirements as to alteration of memorandum or articles of association
81H Shares of law corporation
81I Additional grounds for winding up law corporation
81J Right of appeal against decisions of Council under this Part
81K Register of law corporations
81L This Part to prevail over inconsistent provisions of memorandum and articles of association
81M Application of Companies Act and other written law to law corporations
81N Rules on law corporations
81O Reference in other written law
Part VII DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS
82 Jurisdiction of Supreme Court over solicitors and legal officers
82A Disciplinary proceedings against legal officers and non-practising solicitors
83 Power to strike off rollor suspend or censure
84 Appointment of Inquiry Panel
85 Complaints against advocates and solicitors
86 Inquiry
87 Council’s consideration of report
88 Council’s power to order penalty
89 Application to appoint Disciplinary Committee
90 Appointment of Disciplinary Committee
91 Proceedings and powers of Disciplinary Committee
92 Complaint made by Judge or Attorney-General
93 Findings of Disciplinary Committee
94 Society to apply to court if cause of sufficient gravity exists
94A Society to apply to court for cases involving fraud or dishonesty
95 Provisions as to penalties
96 Procedure for complainant dissatisfied with Council’s decision
97 Procedure for complainant dissatisfied with Disciplinary Committee’s decision
98 Order to show cause
99 Drawing up of order
100 Solicitor’s application to remove own name
101 Adverse orders to be noted on roll
102 Replacement on roll of solicitor who has been struck off
103 Costs
104 Absence of person under inquiry
105 Provisions as to evidence
106 No action in absence of bad faith
Part VIII REMUNERATION OF SOLICITORS AND LAW CORPORATIONS
107 Prohibition of certain stipulations
108 Orders as to remuneration of solicitors for non-contentious business
109 Agreements with respect to remuneration for non-contentious business
110 Remuneration of solicitor who is mortgagee
111 Agreement as to costs for contentious business
112 Effect of agreements with respect to contentious business
113 Enforcement of agreements
114 Death or incapability of solicitor after agreement
115 Change of solicitor after agreement
Part IX RECOVERY AND TAXATION OF COSTS
116 Interpretation of this Part
117 Charging orders
118 Solicitor not to commence action for fees until one month after delivery of bills
119 Court may authorise action for recovery of fees before expiration of one month after delivery of bills
120 Order for taxation of delivered bill of costs
121 Costs of order for taxation
122 Time limit for taxation of bills of costs
123 Petitions for taxation to contain submission to pay
124 Order for delivery of bill of costs to be obtained as of course
125 Solicitor to deliver copy of bill of costs
126 Preparation of bills of costs as between solicitor and client
127 Interest in respect of disbursements and advances
128 How costs of taxation to be borne
129 Interest on client’s money
130 Costs of Government
Part IXA FOREIGN LAW FIRMS, JOINT LAW VENTURES AND FORMAL LAW ALLIANCES
130A Interpretation of this Part
130B Joint Law Venture
130C Registration to practise Singapore law
130D Formal Law Alliance
130E Professional conduct, ethics and accounts
130F Disciplinary proceedings
130G Cancellation of registration
130H Attorney-General’s decision final
130I Registration of foreign law firms and foreign lawyers
130J Rules on Joint Law Ventures and Formal Law Alliances
Part X MISCELLANEOUS
131 General provision as to rules
132 Offices of Board and Society
133 Service of documents
134 Recovery of moneys by Society
135 Rules Committee to prescribe certain fees
136 Relief to banks
137 Income tax exemption
Legislative History
Comparative Table