Legal Profession Rules - Singapore Statutes Online

Legal Profession Act

(Chapter 161, Section 5(3))

Legal Profession Rules

R 3

REVISED EDITION 1990

(25th March 1992)

[11th August 1967]

Citation

1. These Rules may be cited as the Legal Profession Rules.

Seal

2. The Board shall have a seal bearing in the circumference the words “Republic of Singapore” and in the centre of the seal the words “The Board of Legal Education” in 3 parallel and horizontal lines.

Meetings

3. The Board shall meet on not less than 4 occasions in each year and at such time and place as the Chairman, or in his absence the Deputy Chairman, directs.

Chairman and Deputy Chairman

4. At its first meeting in each calendar year the Board shall elect a Chairman and a Deputy Chairman.

Notice of meeting

5. The Secretary of the Board shall give to all members 7 days’ notice of each meeting together with the agenda of the matters to be considered by the Board.

Quorum

6. Subject to section 10(3) of the Act, the quorum of the Board shall be 5 members.

Casting vote

7. The Chairman, the Deputy Chairman or any other member shall, when presiding over a meeting of the Board, have a casting vote only.

Committees

8. The Board may from time to time appoint one or more committees from among its members to consider and report to the Board on any matters for which the Board is made responsible by the Act.

Board may authorise Secretary and two other members to sign and endorse cheques

9.—(1) The Board may by resolution authorise and require the Secretary and either of two named members to sign all cheques drawn on its bank account.

(2) The Secretary and either of the two named members may be authorised to endorse cheques drawn in favour of and to the order of the Board.

(3) The Secretary shall pay all moneys received by him into the bank account of the Board and shall issue a receipt therefor.

(4) The Secretary shall prepare and submit to each meeting of the Board a statement of all amounts received and paid on behalf of the Board since the previous meeting.

(5) The Secretary shall present to the Board an audited statement of account at the first meeting of each calendar year.

Minutes

10.—(1) The Secretary, or in his absence a member of the Board nominated by the Chairman, shall keep a record of the proceedings and decisions of each meeting of the Board for incorporation in the minute book of the Board.

(2) The Secretary shall be responsible for the safe custody of the minute book and for its production at meetings of the Board.

Post-graduate Practical Course in Law

11.—(1) For the purposes of section 12 (1) (d) and (e) and section 13(3) of the Act, the Board prescribes the Postgraduate Practical Course in Law conducted by the Board and recognises the Postgraduate Practical Course in Law conducted by the University of Malaya or the University of Singapore and recognises, with effect until 31st December 1968, the Post Final Practical Course of the Council of Legal Education in England.

(2) The Board will require an applicant for admission who has attended any one of the Courses mentioned in paragraph (1) to produce to the Board a certificate in the Form A set out in the Schedule.

(3) The Secretary shall endorse on every such certificate produced to the Board the date of its production and his signature.

(4) The Secretary shall keep a register of certificates for the purpose of recording the name of the person shown on each certificate, the date on which the certificate was granted to him and the date of production of the certificate to the Board.

Procedure before petition filed

12.—(1) A qualified person not being a legal officer who intends to petition for admission as an advocate and solicitor shall before filing his petition register his name with the Board and shall at the same time —

(a)	produce to the Board the certificate (or a certified copy thereof) relating to the qualification by virtue of which he claims to be a qualified person; and
(b)	inform the Board in writing of the name and address of the master with whom he intends to serve his pupillage and the proposed date of commencement of such pupillage.

(2) On the Board’s approval of pupillage being given, the Secretary shall endorse on the certificate (or certified copy thereof) submitted in accordance with paragraph (1)(a) the date of its production to the Board and his own signature and shall enter in a register of qualified persons —

(a)	the name of the qualified person;
(b)	the date of the production of the certificate;; and
(c)	the name and address of the master.

(3) The fee payable on registration shall be $100.

(4) A qualified person shall first notify the Board and obtain its approval if he intends to change his master and the Secretary shall enter the date of the notice and approval in the register.

Certificates of good character

13. For the purpose of section 17(4)(b) of the Act, the two certificates of good character of the petitioner shall be given by two responsible persons not immediately related to the petitioner, who have known the petitioner for two years or more and have had opportunities of judging the petitioner’ character and one of whom shall be a resident of Singapore:

Provided that the Board may accept in place of either or both of the certificates or require in addition thereto such other evidence of good character as the Board thinks fit.

Admissions Committee

14.—(1) There shall be an Admissions Committee consisting of 2 members from time to time elected by the Board to which the Secretary shall submit all applications for admission and for registration of pupillage, together with copies of such supporting documents as are in each case required.

(2) The Committee shall without delay report to the Board on all such applications.

Forms

15.—(1) Every petition for admission —

(a)	under section 11 (1) (a) or 15(1) of the Act shall be in the appropriate version of Form B set out in the Schedule; and
(b)	under section 15(2) of the Act shall be in Form C set out in the Schedule.

(2) The notice referred to in section 17(3) of the Act shall be in the appropriate version of Form D set out in the Schedule.

(3) The affidavit referred to in section 17(4) of the Act shall be in the appropriate version of Form E set out in the Schedule.

(4) The certificate of good character referred to in section 17(4)(b) of the Act shall be in the appropriate version of Form F set out in the Schedule.

(5) The certificate of diligence referred to in section 17(4)(c) of the Act shall be in Form G set out in the Schedule.

(6) The certificate from the Secretary of the Board referred to in section 17(4)(d) of the Act shall be in the appropriate version of Form H set out in the Schedule.

(7) The certificate referred to in section 18(4)(b) of the Act shall be in Form I set out in the Schedule.

(8) The certificate referred to in section 18(4)(c) of the Act shall be in Form J set out in the Schedule.

(9) Where an applicant for admission has been exempted from any provision of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules under rule 12 of those Rules and no version of Form B or Form E is applicable in his case, the petition and the affidavit referred to in section 17(4) of the Act to be filed by the applicant shall be in such form as the Board may approve.

[R 15.]

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