• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

42% growth in foreign lawyers, but not enough jobs for local ones?

by Andrew Loh
17/08/2014
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
1
Shanmugam
Shanmugam
Law Minister K Shanmugam says he “is concerned there may not be enough training contracts and jobs” for Singaporean law graduates returning from overseas.
According to Channel Newsasia, Mr Shanmugam, who is also Foreign Affairs minister, said “the next three years will see some 1,500 new entrants join the legal market, which already has 4,432 lawyers with practising certificates.”
Compared to the 94 per cent of local graduates between 2009 and 2013 who received training contracts, “only about 70 per cent of overseas graduates secured such contracts during the same period”, Channel Newsasia reported.
Mr Shanmugam, speaking at the Criminal Justice Conference at the Singapore Management University on Saturday, said, “I’m deeply seized with the issue, and we will look at the rules to see what we can do to try and make it easier for more students to get training contracts.”
In 2009, the government introduced a fast-track scheme which speeds up entry for foreign-trained lawyers who are Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents to practise law here.
“The change allows law graduates who studied overseas and have at least two years of recognised legal experience to be called to the Bar, after passing what is known as Part A of the Bar examination,” the Straits Times reported.
Mr Shanmugam was reported to have said at the time that “although the exact number of Singaporeans who graduate with a law degree overseas each year is not known”, the government had “put in place several measures over the last few years to address the shortage.”
“According to the Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw),” the Asia Law Portal reported in 2013, “the legal services industry has grown 23% in the past five years, jumping from S$1.5bn (£787m) in 2008 to around S$1.85bn (£971m) in 2012.”
Singapore has also seen an increase of foreign lawyers practising in Singapore in recent years.
In 2009, the Singapore Institute of legal Education (SILE) proposed that the entry requirements for foreign lawyers to practise corporate law in Singapore be eased.
The SILE proposal said foreign lawyers should “be allowed to practise corporate law in Singapore in areas such as banking, finance, and Intellectual Property, irrespective of which University they graduate from or what law degree they hold.”
In January last year, the president of the Law Society of Singapore, Lok Vi Ming, revealed that “number of foreign lawyers here has grown faster than that of local ones in the last six years.” (See here: “Foreign lawyers’ pool grew 42% in 6 years”.)
“The spectacular growth of the number of foreign lawyers practising in Singapore emphasises the need for our foreign brethren to lock hands with local lawyers, not in competition, but in cooperation and integration,” Mr Lok said.
He observed that in the six years period, “the number of foreign lawyers grew by about 42 per cent, from 804 to 1,142, while the number of local ones increased from 3,419 to 4,334 – a 27 per cent rise.”

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?
AFP

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

02/02/2023
India’s Adani shares plunge again after stock sale cancelled
AFP

India’s Adani empire loses more than $100 bn after fraud claims

02/02/2023
Former political prisoners calls for abolishment of ISA and apology from PAP Govt on 60th anniversary of Operation Coldstore
Civil Society

Former political prisoners calls for abolishment of ISA and apology from PAP Govt on 60th anniversary of Operation Coldstore

02/02/2023
Indian state picks new capital after kicking out Singapore consortium
India

Indian state picks new capital after kicking out Singapore consortium

02/02/2023
Anwar says Malaysia “not in hurry” to reinstate GST as he vowed to protect the low-and middle-income groups
Economics

Anwar says Malaysia “not in hurry” to reinstate GST as he vowed to protect the low-and middle-income groups

02/02/2023
Grab SG appoints PAP MP Tin Peiling as director of public affairs and policy
Business

Grab SG appoints PAP MP Tin Peiling as director of public affairs and policy

02/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
1 Comment
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

02/02/2023
India’s Adani shares plunge again after stock sale cancelled

India’s Adani empire loses more than $100 bn after fraud claims

02/02/2023
Former political prisoners calls for abolishment of ISA and apology from PAP Govt on 60th anniversary of Operation Coldstore

Former political prisoners calls for abolishment of ISA and apology from PAP Govt on 60th anniversary of Operation Coldstore

02/02/2023
Indian state picks new capital after kicking out Singapore consortium

Indian state picks new capital after kicking out Singapore consortium

02/02/2023
Anwar says Malaysia “not in hurry” to reinstate GST as he vowed to protect the low-and middle-income groups

Anwar says Malaysia “not in hurry” to reinstate GST as he vowed to protect the low-and middle-income groups

02/02/2023
Grab SG appoints PAP MP Tin Peiling as director of public affairs and policy

Grab SG appoints PAP MP Tin Peiling as director of public affairs and policy

02/02/2023
Malaysian cleaner sells his land to donate two dialysis machines worth RM 80k to the dialysis centre he works at

Malaysian cleaner sells his land to donate two dialysis machines worth RM 80k to the dialysis centre he works at

02/02/2023
Gautam Adani: the Indian tycoon weathering stock market panic

Gautam Adani: the Indian tycoon weathering stock market panic

02/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
59

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
69

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
30

...

August 2014
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul   Sep »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz