Legal Profession (International Services) (Amendment) Rules 2003

No. S 226

Legal Profession Act

(Chapter 161)

Legal Profession (International Services) (Amendment) Rules 2003

In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 130I and 130J of the Legal Profession Act, the Minister for Law, after consulting the Attorney-General, hereby makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1. These Rules may be cited as the Legal Profession (International Services) (Amendment) Rules 2003 and shall come into operation on 3rd May 2003.

Amendment of rule 3

2. Rule 3(5) of the Legal Profession (International Services) Rules (R 20) (referred to in these Rules as the principal Rules) is amended by inserting, immediately after the word “Attorney-General”, the words “or the Solicitor-General”.

Amendment of rule 14

3. Rule 14 of the principal Rules is amended by inserting, immediately after paragraph (3), the following paragraphs:

“(3A) The Attorney-General may, at any time, add to or vary any condition of registration imposed under paragraph (2).

(3B) The Attorney-General may cancel the registration of a foreign law firm if the foreign law firm fails to comply with any condition of its registration.”.

Amendment of rule 16

4. Rule 16 of the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after paragraph (1), the following paragraph:

“(1A) On receipt of the application referred to in paragraph (1), the Attorney-General may —

(a)	approve the application subject to such conditions as he may impose; or
(b)	reject the application on such grounds as he thinks fit.”; and

(b)

by inserting, immediately after the word “Attorney-General” in paragraph (4), the words “or the Solicitor-General”.

New rule 16A

5. The principal Rules are amended by inserting, immediately before rule 17, the following rule:

“Submission of information relating to Singapore lawyer employed in Joint Law Venture or foreign law firm

16A.—(1) Every Joint Law Venture or foreign law firm which has a Singapore office in which a Singapore lawyer is employed shall submit to the Attorney-General in Form 11 such information relating to that Singapore lawyer as may be specified in that Form.

(2) The Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General may, on receipt of Form 11 and on payment of the appropriate fee, issue a certificate in Form 12 certifying that the Singapore lawyer named therein is employed by the Joint Law Venture or foreign law firm named therein.

(3) A certificate issued under paragraph (2) shall be valid for a period of 12, 24 or 36 months, as the Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General may allow, from the date of its issue.

(4) The Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General may, on the submission of a new Form 11 and on payment of the appropriate fee, renew a certificate issued under paragraph (2).”.

Amendment of rule 17

6. Rule 17 of the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by deleting the words “a register” in paragraph (1) and substituting the words “one or more registers”;

(b)

by deleting the word “and” at the end of paragraph (1)(e);

(c)

by deleting the full-stop at the end of sub-paragraph (f) of paragraph (1) and substituting the word “; and”, and by inserting immediately thereafter the following sub-paragraph:

“(g)	Singapore lawyers employed in a Joint Law Venture or foreign law firm.”;

(d)

by deleting the word “; and” at the end of paragraph (3)(e) and substituting a full-stop;

(e)

by deleting sub-paragraph (f) of paragraph (3);

(f)

by deleting the word “; and” at the end of paragraph (4)(b) and substituting a full-stop;

(g)

by deleting sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (4); and

(h)

by deleting sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (5) and substituting the following sub-paragraph:

“(c)	upon the request of any Singapore lawyer, foreign lawyer, foreign law firm, Joint Law Venture or Formal Law Alliance, remove the name of that Singapore lawyer, foreign lawyer, foreign law firm, Joint Law Venture or Formal Law Alliance, from the register.”.

Amendment of rule 18

7. Rule 18 of the principal Rules is amended by deleting the words “Attorney-General may, on application by any” and substituting the words “Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General may, on application by any Singapore lawyer,”.

Deletion and substitution of rule 19

8. Rule 19 of the principal Rules is deleted and the following rule substituted therefor:

“Power to require information, etc.

19. The Attorney-General may require any Singapore lawyer, foreign lawyer, foreign law firm, Singapore law firm, Joint Law Venture or Formal Law Alliance to provide the Attorney-General with such documents, particulars or information as the Attorney-General considers necessary for the purposes of ascertaining whether —

(a)	any of the provisions of Part IXA of the Act or any of the conditions imposed thereunder has been complied with;
(b)	the registration of a foreign lawyer, foreign law firm, Joint Law Venture or Formal Law Alliance should otherwise be cancelled; or
(c)	a certificate issued to a Singapore lawyer under rule 16A should be cancelled.”.

Amendment of First Schedule

9. The First Schedule to the principal Rules is amended by inserting, immediately after item 9, the following item:

10. Fee for certificate of employment of a Singapore lawyer or renewal thereof under rule 16A (2) or (4):

(a) for a period of 12 months or part thereof

$100.

(b) for a period of 24 months or part thereof

$200.

$300.

Amendment of Second Schedule

10. The Second Schedule to the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by deleting the word “are” in paragraph 2 of Form 9 and substituting the word “is”; and

(b)

by inserting, immediately after Form 10, the following Forms:

FORM 11

Rule 16A(1) and (4)

FORM 12

Rule 16A(2)

Made this 30th day of April 2003.

LIEW HENG SAN

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Law,
Singapore.

[LAW 32/001/8.15 Vol. 1; AG/LEG/SL/161/2002/1 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 131 of the Legal Profession Act).

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