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SAL Annual Report 2010

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SAL Annual Report 2010 CONTENTS Singapore PRESIDENT’S REVIEW 2 SENATE 4 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 6 Academy of Law FACT, FIGURES & HIGHLIGHTS 10 LEGAL KNOWLEDGE 12 Annual Report 2010/11 LEGAL INDUSTRY 16 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY 22 CORPORATE SERVICES 26 FINANCIAL REVIEW 30 EDITORIAL TEAM Editors • Ms Serene Wee Chief Executive • Ms Foo Kim Leng Assistant Director, Corporate Communications & Events Management • Ms Serene Ong Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications & Events Management Art Direction MAKE Contributors legal knowledge • Mr Bala Shunmugam Director, Academy Publishing • Ms Grace Lee-Kok Assistant Director, Legal Education • Ms Melissa Goh RA SING Consultant, Law Reform legal industry • Mr Loong Seng Onn Senior Director, Legal Industry Cluster legal technology STANDARDS • Ms Tay Bee Lian Senior Director, LawNet of Legal Practice corporate services • Ms Low Hui Min Chief Financial Officer, Stakeholding, Finance & Investment • Ms Lai Wai Leng MICA (P) 122/11/2011, ISSN 1793-5679 Assistant Director, Finance & Membership • Ms Teo Lay Eng Senior Manager, Human Resource & Administration CONTENTS ABOUT US PRESIDENT’S REVIEW 2 SENATE 4 The Singapore Academy of Law EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 6 (the “Academy”) has close to 9,000 FACT, FIGURES & HIGHLIGHTS 10 members comprising all persons LEGAL KNOWLEDGE 12 who are called as advocates and LEGAL INDUSTRY 16 solicitors of the Supreme Court LEGAL TECHNOLOGY 22 or who are appointed as Legal CORPORATE SERVICES 26 30 Service Officers. The membership FINANCIAL REVIEW of the Academy comprises of the Bench, the Bar, and large numbers EDITORIAL TEAM of corporate counsel and faculty members of the local law schools. Editors • Ms Serene Wee The Academy is governed by the Senate which is headed by the Chief Executive • Ms Foo Kim Leng Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong as President. The Assistant Director, Vice-Presidents of the Academy are the Honourable Attorney- Corporate Communications & Events Management General Mr Sundaresh Menon, SC; the Honourable Judge of Appeal • Ms Serene Ong Justice Chao Hick Tin; the Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications Andrew Phang Boon Leong; the Honourable Judge of Appeal & Events Management Justice V K Rajah; President of the Law Society of Singapore, Art Direction Mr Wong Meng Meng, SC, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National MAKE University of Singapore, Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC, and Dean Contributors of the School of Law of the Singapore Management University, legal knowledge Professor Michael Furmston. The Senate also comprises the High • Mr Bala Shunmugam Court Judges, academia and the practising profession. Director, Academy Publishing • Ms Grace Lee-Kok Assistant Director, Legal Education The work of the Academy is focused on three key areas: supporting • Ms Melissa Goh Consultant, Law Reform the growth and development of the Legal Industry; building up the intellectual capital of the legal profession by enhancing Legal legal industry • Mr Loong Seng Onn Knowledge; and improving the efficiency of legal practice through Senior Director, Legal Technology. The work of the Academy is driven by these Legal Industry Cluster three core mandates. This in turn is directed towards raising the legal technology standard and quality of legal practice and building a strong and • Ms Tay Bee Lian dynamic legal community in Singapore. Senior Director, LawNet corporate services • Ms Low Hui Min Chief Financial Officer, Stakeholding, Finance & Investment • Ms Lai Wai Leng Assistant Director, Finance & Membership OUR MISSION VALUES • Ms Teo Lay Eng & Senior Manager, Human Resource & Administration Building up the intellectual capital, capability and 1 Supreme Court Lane infrastructure of members of the Singapore Academy of Law Level 6, Singapore 178879 Tel: +65 6332 4388 main line and promoting ESPRIT DE CORPS among the members of the Fax: +65 6334 4940 www.sal.org.sg Singapore Academy of Law. “ In discharging its functions, THE PRESIDENT’S REVIEW SAL will give priority to the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong interests of our members.” President Singapore Academy of Law Q1: SAL was modelled after the Inns of Court to introduction to how lawyers should behave and finance and management skills and other develop a collegiate spirit among the different conduct themselves professionally. We are also relevant topics are also very well received. constituents in the legal fraternity. How will SAL looking at senior members to lead by example. ensure that the interests of all its members are Academy Publishing which is responsible for the taken care of? Law is a noble profession. Lawyers have a long and selection and publication of primary and secondary proud history of mutual courtesy and respect in the legal materials will continue to produce books that Ans: In discharging its functions, SAL will give discharge of their professional duties and we need would assist practitioners and raise the profile of priority to the interests of our members. While to instill this pride in the profession by building Singapore law. To meet the more sophisticated SAL’s products and services will cater to as wide a cohesive legal community with shared values. needs of the new generation of lawyers, Academy a membership audience, greater attention will be Publishing has also moved from print to electronic given to members with special needs such as old Q3: What is SAL’s role in developing and publishing. LawNet will continue to innovate and and younger members of the Bar, smaller law firms branding “Singapore Legal Inc”? deliver its content on new platforms including and the criminal Bar. mobile devices. Ans: Since 2005, the SAL has worked with SAL currently has more than 9,000 members and organisations and partners in Singapore and our numbers are growing. Our oldest members are overseas to enhance the image of and promote over 80 years old and the youngest are 19 year-old Singapore as a regional legal hub. Besides law students. Their needs and concerns are very attracting more (including sophisticated) legal different. Given the increasing diversity of the legal work that will benefit our members, SAL will fraternity, we will need to look at providing more facilitate the growth of a hub for legal education bespoke products and services. SAL will also in Singapore. Where possible, we will position continue to engage our members on a regular basis. Singapore as a thought leader in the development of law and push the boundaries in areas such as Q2: There have been concerns about falling ethical legal IT, publishing, education and infrastructure. standards within the legal profession. How can SAL contribute to raising standards of practice and Q4: The legal landscape is constantly evolving. How professionalism? can SAL help to increase the skills, knowledge and practice standards of its members? Ans: SAL is uniquely placed to raise the standards of legal practice given its statutory functions, Ans: We have a broad based continuing legal education resources and the way our Senate is structured. programme that caters to differing needs. It SAL will organise more talks and seminars on includes refresher courses on black-letter law, ethics. Law graduates doing the Part B of the specialised law programmes on emerging Singapore Bar Examinations are instructed areas of law and seminars on comparative law in professional ethics. Recently, the Academy and relevant overseas legal developments. published A Civil Practice: Good Counsel for Our non-law programmes which deal with Learned Friends which provides a quick and simple 2 Singapore Academy of Law Annual Report 2010/ 11 3 THE SENATE THE SENATE IS HEADED BY THE HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE CHAN SEK KEONG AS PRESIDENT. In the period under review, the Vice-Presidents of the Academy are the Honourable Attorney-General Mr Sundaresh Menon, SC; the Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice Chao Hick Tin; the Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong; the Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice V K Rajah; President of the Law Society of Singapore, Mr Wong Meng Meng, SC and the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore, Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC. The Senate also comprises the High Court Judges, the Dean of the School of Law of the Singapore Management University, academia and the practising profession. SEATED FROM LEFT standing FROM LEFT STANDING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TO RIGHT (ROW 1) TO RIGHT (ROW 2) Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC Justice Quentin Loh Professor Yeo Tiong Min (vice-president) Professor Michael Furmston Justice Andrew Ang Judge of Appeal Justice Justice Judith Prakash Justice Tan Lee Meng V K Rajah Justice Philip Pillai Justice Kan Ting Chiu* (vice-president) Justice Belinda Ang Mr Giam Chin Toon, SC Judge of Appeal Justice Justice Lai Siu Chiu Second Solicitor-General Chao Hick Tin Justice Choo Han Teck Lionel Yee Woon Chin (vice-president) Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, SC Solicitor-General Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong Professor Amirthalingam Mrs Koh Juat Jong (president) Kumaralingam Mr George Lim Teong Jin, SC Judge of Appeal Justice Justice Chan Seng Onn Mr Rajan Menon Andrew Phang Boon Leong Mr Lok Vi Ming, SC (vice-president) Justice Steven Chong Mr Wong Meng Meng, SC Justice Tay Yong Kwang (vice-president) Justice Lee Seiu Kin notN I PICTURE Attorney-General Mr Sundaresh Menon, SC (vice-president) Justice Woo Bih Li Mr Lucien Wong * served as Senate member up to 27 August 2011. 4 Singapore Academy of Law Annual Report 2010/ 11 5 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chief Justice Attorney-General Judge of Appeal
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