I was conferred my law degree before 1st May 1993
Under Rule 6 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) You were conferred the degree of Bachelor of Laws (irrespective of the class of honours you attained) by any institution of higher learning in the United Kingdom before 1st May 1993; and
(c) You fulfil ONE of the following requirements:
(i) You have become:
- a barrister-at-law of England or of Northern Ireland;
- a member of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland;
- a solicitor in England or Northern Ireland; or
- a writer to the Signet, law agent or solicitor in Scotland;
(ii) You have obtained the Diploma in Singapore Law; or
(iii) 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); or
- With the approval of the Board of Legal Education before 3rd May 2011 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. Please note that if you are unable to meet one or more of the above requirements, you are not a "qualified person". You may wish to consider alternatives for working in the legal field in Singapore.
3. Under Rule 17(1)(a)(1)(a) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, the Qualified Person as described above shall make his application under section 12(2) of the Legal Profession Act to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court on or before 2nd May 2012 (Rule 17(2)).