Legal Profession (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Rules 2000

No. S 459

Legal Profession Act

(Chapter 161)

Legal Profession (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Rules 2000

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 75A of the Legal Profession Act, the Council of the Law Society of Singapore, with the approval of the Chief Justice, hereby makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1. These Rules may be cited as the Legal Profession (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Rules 2000 and shall come into operation on 10th October 2000.

Society may arrange for insurance scheme

2. The Council may make arrangements (in a representative capacity) with such insurance underwriters as it may approve, on such terms and conditions and with such exceptions as the Council thinks fit, to establish a common insurance scheme determined by the Council for providing indemnity against loss arising from claims in respect of civil liability incurred by —

(a)

an advocate and solicitor or former advocate and solicitor in connection with his practice in any law firm or in any law corporation or with any trust of which he is or formerly was a trustee;

(b)

an employee or former employee of —

(i)	an advocate and solicitor or former advocate and solicitor in connection with the practice of that advocate and solicitor in any law firm or former law firm or with any trust of which that advocate and solicitor or the employee is or formerly was a trustee; or
(ii)	a law corporation or former law corporation in connection with its business of providing legal services or with any trust of which the law corporation or the employee is or formerly was a trustee; and

(c)

a law corporation or former law corporation in connection with legal services provided by it or with any trust of which that law corporation is or formerly was a trustee.

Requirement to take out insurance

3.—(1) Every advocate and solicitor who intends to apply for a practising certificate shall —

(a)

before making an application for the certificate, take out such insurance as is referred to in rule 2(a) with an insurance underwriter approved by the Council for the amount of insurance cover specified —

(i)	in rule 4(1)(a) if he is or will be practising in a law firm; and
(ii)	in rule 4(1)(b) if he is or will be practising in a law corporation; and

(b)

maintain in force such insurance at all times during the period he has in force a practising certificate.

(2) Every law corporation shall take out and maintain in force at all times during the period in which it carries on its business of providing legal services such insurance as is referred to in rule 2(c) for the amount of insurance cover specified in rule 4(1)(c) with an insurance underwriter approved by the Council.

Amount of insurance cover

4.—(1) The amount of insurance cover shall be —

(a)	$1 million, or such other amount as may be determined by the Council, for each and every claim in respect of civil liability incurred by an advocate and solicitor practising in any law firm;
(b)	$2 million, or such other amount as may be determined by the Council, for each and every claim in respect of civil liability incurred by an advocate and solicitor practising in any law corporation; and
(c)	$2 million, or such other amount as may be determined by the Council, for each and every claim in respect of civil liability incurred by a law corporation.

(2) The Council may determine whether the amount of insurance referred to in paragraph (1) shall be inclusive of costs and expenses incurred in the defence or settlement of any claim in respect of civil liability incurred by the advocate and solicitor or law corporation, as the case may be.

Excess

5. The Council may determine the amount of excess, if any, that shall apply to any claim against an advocate and solicitor or a law corporation, or to the costs and expenses incurred in the defence or settlement of such claim or to both the claim and costs and expenses.

Period of insurance

6. The period of insurance shall be the entire period during which the practising certificate of the insured advocate and solicitor is in force or the insured law corporation carries on its business of providing legal services, as the case may be.

Exemption

7. These Rules shall not apply to —

(a)	any solicitor who is employed by the Society or any statutory board or authority and who is issued a certificate by the Attorney-General under section 26(3) of the Act; or
(b)	a member of the Singapore Legal Service.

Revocation

8. The Legal Profession (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Rules (R 11) are revoked.

Made this 5th day of October 2000.

PALAKRISHNAN

President,
Council of the Law Society of Singapore.

[LS/29/2000/YD/jl; AG/LEG/SL/161/97/2 Vol. 2]

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

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