Legal Profession (Practising Certificate) Rules

Legal Profession Act

(Chapter 161, Section 25(5))

R 6

G.N. No. S 63/1997

REVISED EDITION 1998

(15th June 1998)

[1st March 1997]

Citation

1. These Rules may be cited as the Legal Profession (Practising Certificate) Rules.

Definitions

2. In these Rules —

“electronic filing” means the filing of an application for a practising certificate by electronic transmission in accordance with any practice direction for the time being issued by the Registrar;

“practice year” means the period from 1st April in a calendar year to 31st March in the ensuing calendar year.

[S 74/2000 wef 01/03/2000]

Time for application

3. An application for a practising certificate in respect of a practice year shall not be submitted to the Registrar earlier than the month preceding the commencement of that practice year.

Application for practising certificate

4. An application for a practising certificate shall be made in such form as the Registrar may require.

Application for practising certificate to practice as locum solicitor

4A.—(1) In the case of an application for a practising certificate to practise as a locum solicitor, section 25(1)(a) of the Act shall be modified by replacing paragraphs (ii) and (iii) as follows:

“(ii)	the name of the solicitor, law firm or law corporation engaging him, if he knows the name at the time of the application; and
(iii)	the principal and any other address or addresses at which he practises in Singapore, if he knows the address or addresses at the time of the application;”.

(2) An application for a practising certificate to practise as a locum solicitor shall be accompanied by an undertaking by the applicant not to practice as a locum solicitor unless such professional indemnity relating to his practice as a locum solicitor as prescribed in rules made under section 75A of the Act has been obtained.

[S 72/2005 wef 01/04/2005]

Training requirements for locum solicitors

4B.—(1) The training required for the purposes of section 26(1A)(b) of the Act —

(a)	shall comprise 10 hours of training approved by the Council, of which 6 hours shall relate to areas of practice published on the website of the Law Society for the purposes of this rule; and
(b)	shall have been undertaken and completed by the solicitor during the period of 12 months immediately preceding his application for a practising certificate as a locum solicitor.

(2) Training provided by any institution or body named in a list published on the website of the Law Society for the purposes of this rule, in the areas of practice referred to in paragraph (1)(a), shall be deemed to be approved by the Council for the purposes of this rule.”.

[S 72/2005 wef 01/04/2005]

Signature by proxy

5.—(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), an application for a practising certificate, other than an application by electronic filing, shall be signed personally by the applicant.

(2) Where the Registrar is satisfied that there is good and sufficient reason for a solicitor’s inability to personally sign his application for a practising certificate, the Registrar may accept an application made on behalf of the solicitor and signed by another solicitor who shall, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, be a partner, employer or employee of the solicitor on whose behalf the application is being made.

(3) A solicitor who proposes to sign an application for a practising certificate on behalf of another solicitor shall make prior request to the Registrar in such form as the Registrar may require.

Evidence

6. The Registrar or the Council may in his or its discretion require a statutory declaration or such other evidence as he or the Council may consider necessary in support of the facts, circumstances or particulars contained in any application or statement delivered under these Rules.

Form of practising certificate

7.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a practising certificate shall be in Form A or B set out in the Schedule.

(2) A practising certificate to practise as a locum solicitor shall be in Form C set out in the Schedule.

[S 72/2005 wef 01/04/2005]

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