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Legal Profession Bill

Bill No. 57/1966

Read the first time on 5th December 1966.

An Act to establish the Board of Legal Education, to constitute the Singapore Advocates and Solicitors Society and to amend and consolidate the law relating to the legal profession.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Legal Profession Act, 1966, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

(2) The Minister may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of the different Parts or provisions of this Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“advocate and solicitor”, “advocate” or “solicitor” mean an advocate and solicitor of the High Court;

“annual certificate” means the certificate issued by the Council under section 32 of this Act;

“Board” means the Board of Legal Education established under section 3 of this Act;

“client” includes —

(a)	in relation to contentious business, any person who as principal or on behalf of another person retains or employs, or is about to retain or employ, a solicitor, and any person who is or may be liable to pay a solicitor’s costs;
(b)	in relation to non-contentious business any person, who as a principal or on behalf of another, or as a trustee, executor or administrator, or in any other capacity, has power, express or implied, to retain or employ, and retains or employs or is about to retain or employ, a solicitor, and any person for the time being liable to pay a solicitor for his service any costs;

“contentious business” means business done, whether as solicitor or as advocate, in or for the purpose of proceedings begun before a court of justice or before an arbitrator;

“costs” includes fees, charges, disbursements, expenses and remuneration;

“Council” means the Council of the Society established under section 52 of this Act;

“court” means the High Court or a judge thereof when sitting in open court, and “judge” means a judge of the High Court sitting in Chambers;

“Disciplinary Committee” means a Committee appointed by the Chief Justice under section 94 of this Act;

“Faculty” means the Faculty of Law in the University of Singapore;

“Inquiry Committee” means a Committee appointed by the Council under section 88 of this Act;

“legal officer” means a qualified person in the judicial or legal service of Singapore;

“Malayan practitioner” means any qualified person entitled to practice before a High Court in any part of Western Malaysia;

“practising certificate” means a certificate issued by the Registrar under section 29 of this Act;

“qualified person” means any person who —

(a)	has passed the final examination for the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the University of Singapore or in the University of Malaya; or
(b)	is a barrister-at-law of England or of Northern Ireland or a member of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland; or
(c)	is a solicitor in England or Northern Ireland or a writer to the Signet, law agent or solicitor in Scotland;

“Register of Practitioners” means the annual register kept by the Registrar under section 31 of this Act;

“Registrar” means the Registrar of the High Court and includes a Deputy Registrar and an Assistant Registrar;

“Roll” means the Roll of advocates and solicitors of the High Court kept under section 28 of this Act;

“Rules Committee” means the Rules Committee constituted under any written law for the time being in force with the power to make rules regulating procedure in the High Court;

“Society” means the Singapore Advocates and Solicitors Society established by section 41 of this Act.