I graduated from the Australian National University, Flinders University, University of Queensland or University of Western Australia
Under Rule 9(2) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, you are a “qualified person” if you fulfil ALL the following requirements:
(a) You are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident;
(b) On or after 28th July 2003, you were conferred the degree of Bachelor of Laws (with or without Honours) by one of the following universities in Australia specified in the Third Schedule:
- Australian National University;
- Flinders University;
- University of Queensland; or
- University of Western Australia;
(c) You were ranked by that university as being amongst the highest 70%, in terms of academic performance, of the total number of the graduates in the same batch who were conferred the degree(s) specified in the Third Schedule for that university (all graduates in the same university who, in the same calendar year, commenced the final year of their course of study leading to the degree(s) specified in the Third Schedule for that university are regarded as belonging to the same batch);
(d) You read the degree as a “full-time internal candidate” of that university; or if you did not read the degree as a “full-time internal candidate” of that university, this was approved by the Board of Legal Education before 31 July 2009 or by the Minister for Law on or after that date (see Rule 10(3) and the definition of “full-time internal candidate” in Rule 2);
(e) You commenced and completed the course of study leading to that degree over a period of at least 3 academic years (i.e. not as an “accelerated course”); or if the period was less than 3 academic years, your “accelerated course” was approved by the Board of Legal Education before 31 July 2009 or by the Minister for Law on or after that date (see Rule 11(1)(a) and the definition of “accelerated course” in Rule 2);
(f) You did not read the degree as part of a “dual degree”; or your “dual degree course” was approved by the Board of Legal Education before 31 July 2009 or by the Minister for Law on or after that date (see Rule 11(1)(b) and the definitions of “dual degree” and “dual degree course” in Rule 2);
(g) You were not conferred a “combined degree”; or your “combined degree” was approved by the Board of Legal Education before 31 July 2009 or by the Minister for Law on or after that date, and you complied with all requirements specified by the Board or the Minister for Law, if any (see Rule 12 and the definition of “combined degree” in Rule 2); and
(h) You fulfil ONE of the following requirements:
(i) You have obtained the Diploma in Singapore Law [Note: Under Rule 17(1)(c) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, individuals in this category who are “qualified persons” by virtue of obtaining the Diploma in Singapore Law but who have yet to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court shall make an application under section 12(2) of the Legal Profession Act to do so on or before 2nd May 2012 (Rule 17(2))]; or
(ii) You have passed Part A of the Bar Examinations and, after you have passed the final examination for your degree, for a period of not less than 6 months within a continuous period of 8 months you have been engaged in “relevant legal training” and/or “relevant legal practice or work” (see definitions in Rule 2) or you are exempt from the latter requirement because:
- On or before 1st August 2009, you have been engaged in “relevant work” for a period of not less than 6 months within a continuous period of 8 months (see definition of “relevant work” in Rule 15A(2) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules) [Note: Under Rule 17(1)(ce) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, individuals in this category who are “qualified persons” by virtue of having been engaged in “relevant work” but who have yet to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court shall make an application under section 12(2) of the Legal Profession Act to do so on or before 2nd May 2012 (Rule 17(2))]; or
- With the approval of the Board of Legal Education and for a period of not less than 6 months within a continuous period of 8 months, you have received supervised training in relation to the practice of Singapore law through working as a Legal Service Officer or under the supervision of a “relevant legal officer” (see Rule 15A(1) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules for details).
Note
1. You can obtain the 6 months of "relevant legal training" and/or "relevant legal practice or work" within a continuous period of 8 months either before or after passing Part A of the Bar Examinations, but the route you take may have implications on the order in which you must fulfil other admission requirements. For more information, please see this section of the guide 'What Admission Requirements Must I Fulfil?'.
2. If you obtained or are thinking of embarking upon a Juris Doctor, dual or combined degree, please see 'Approved Overseas Universities & Degrees' for more information.
3. Please note that if you are unable to meet one or more of the above requirements (e.g. you obtained a different degree), you are not a "qualified person". You may wish to consider alternatives for working in the legal field in Singapore.