Rahayu Mahzam on Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill

Decoupling admission to the Bar from the completion of practice training contracts - this is one amendment in a Bill meant to lift the overall standards of the professional training regime for lawyers. It involves the creation of a new category of law graduates who, after passing the Part B examinations, can be admitted to the Bar as a lawyer (non-practitioner). They can work as in-house counsel or in academia, for example. The aim is to recognise that a legal education can lead to different careers and build a pool of legal talent to support all aspects of Singapore’s economy and society. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Rahayu Mahzam gave the details in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 7). Another proposal is to lengthen the practice training period from six months to a year. Ms Rahayu said her ministry was aware of concerns about the additional strain this might cause among both trainees and firms and it is looking into areas such as leave days and financial remuneration during this period. Other changes include giving trainees limited rights to practise after six months of training and allowing up to three months of the practice training period to be done at approved corporate in-house legal departments.