Law grads in S'pore hard to find jobs?
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I think that lawyer 's pay are unlimited - "��完", in fact some of them even opened an free legal clinic on Hougang. Your can read more on it:
LAWYER SUBHAS ANANDAN
I am not interested in politics
He rejects suggestion that legal clinic is ploy to get PAP candidate elected
REPORT: SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB
HE CREASED his brows as he sat back in his spacious office at RHT Law.
Prominent criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan then heaved a sigh and said: : "I am apolitical and I'm not interested in politics."
He also stressed that the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore (ACLS), of which he is the president, is independent of politics.
"The AcLS is not anybody's stooge.We are an independent body.
"We do not care about political affiliations. If you need help, you can ask us. If we can provide the help, we will do that," said Mr Anandan.
On Friday, a report by online news portal The Temasek Times claimed that Mr Anandan had offered free legal aid to Hougang residents if the ruling party's candidate, Mr Desmond Choo, was elected into office.This report raised many eyebrows and some netizens later posted their thoughts online, assuming that Mr Anandan was trying to be involved in politics.
Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, the lawyer said that the report is "absolutely wrong".
He said:"This rumour is nonsense."
The lawyer said that people started calling him on Friday, asking if he was trying to help the People's Action Party (PAP) with the free clinic.
Then his son called him and asked if he had got himself involved with political activities.
"I looked around and realised that misinformation had been given. I was annoyed as the people had been misled."
Not taking actionDespite this, Mr Anandan told TNP that he will not be taking any action over this matter.
"There can be misunderstandings and mistakes. If they are rectified, I will forget about it life goes on."
Mr Anandan said Mr Choo and one of their mutual friends, who he declined to name, first approached him with an idea for a free legal clinic at Hougang Community Club about three weeks before the by-election was announced.
"Mr Choo said that some of the residents there are quite poor and some of them need legal advice. I told him the ACLS does a lot of pro bono work and we'll consider it."After a few days,I told him that we will have a clinic on May l5."
Mr Anandan stressed that the clinic is for the community.
"If you invite us, we will come... Desmond means nothing to me. He is just a candidate. So is Mr Png (Mr Png Eng Huat, the Workers' Party candidate in the by-election).Whoever wins, it does not matter.
"And if Mr Png wins, if they want us to continue with the clinic, we will. There is no doubt about that... We are there to help people in need, regardless of who they are."
The two-hour legal clinic will start today at 7.30pm and Mr Anandan said that about 30 people are expected to turn up for it.
He added: "The clinic is not going to be a weekly or monthly one. Nothing has been decided. We will come for the first one and see how it goes. There might be a second one, there might not.It depends on the needs of the people.
"Besides myself, about four other lawyers including Mr Sunil Sudheesan and Mr Noor Marican will also be present at the clinic."
News, The New Paper,Tuesday, May 15 2012, Pg 16
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Other than doctors, I think law grads can find jobs easiest in sg.
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S'pore to woo foreign law firms
Move will boost sector, give lawyers here more international exposure
By K.C.VIJAYAN
LAW CORRESPONDENT
MORE foreign law firms are to be allowed to practise in Singapore under a scheme that aims to build on the Republic's status as a legal hub.
They will be licensed to operate in areas such as corporate cases, but must employ a minimum number of local lawyers.
The aim is to develop the sector, while giving Singaporeans employed by the foreign firms more international exposure.
A second round of licences will be issued to companies from overseas later this year as part of the Qualifying Foreign Law Practice scheme, the Government announced yesterday:
The programme was introduced in 2008, when six firms were licensed.
This set them apart from other foreign law companies here,which are either barred from practising Singapore law or allowed to do so only if they team up with a local firm.
Each of the six had to generate a minimum amount of income from work that would otherwise be done abroad.
In the two years from 2009, their total gross revenue in Singapore grew by 25 per cent.
Meanwhile, the legal sector's contribution to the economy has increased from $1.4 billion in 2007 to $1.8 billion last year - despite the global slowdown.
Yesterday, Law Minister K. Shanmugam made clear that only the best would be granted licences. "We want to make sure of the quality, we are looking for firms that can add value and bring new work from overseas into Singapore and add a significant premium to our legal scene."
The scheme stemmed from a 2007 report by a high-level committe that called for the legal services to be liberalised.
Many lawyers from the top firms strongly supported the move. However, the report said some feared Singaporean law practices could end up being marginalised and out-manoeuvred by the foreign competition.
Mr Shanmugam said he also had reservations at first. This was why the foreign firms were licensed only on the condition that they bring in work that is usually done outside Singapore.
"If, by opening up, all we get is work being moved from local law firms to foreign law firms, how does that benefit Singapore? The result must be that new work should come in. The pie must grow bigger."
He added that despite the concerns, Singapore law firms have held their own.
"It has given them some confidence that if they bulk up and they know the market they can compete effectively."
Lawyers said they were not surprised that the scheme was being extended as the move had been expected for some time.
Rajah & Tann managing partner Lee Eng Beng said: "Singapore firms will have to think about how best to compete, present the best proposition to their clients, and retain their share of the market and the talent pool."
The Law Ministry said the minimum number of local lawyers that the firms had to employ were targets based on each company's business projections.
It added that how many licences are awarded at the end of the year will depend on the quality of applications received.
The Straits Times, Wednesday, May 30 2012
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At the rate of divorce going up, be a divorce lawyer, sure make good money here
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Originally posted by M the name:
S'pore to woo foreign law firms
Move will boost sector, give lawyers here more international exposure
By K.C.VIJAYAN
LAW CORRESPONDENT
MORE foreign law firms are to be allowed to practise in Singapore under a scheme that aims to build on the Republic's status as a legal hub.
They will be licensed to operate in areas such as corporate cases, but must employ a minimum number of local lawyers.
The aim is to develop the sector, while giving Singaporeans employed by the foreign firms more international exposure.
A second round of licences will be issued to companies from overseas later this year as part of the Qualifying Foreign Law Practice scheme, the Government announced yesterday:
The programme was introduced in 2008, when six firms were licensed.
This set them apart from other foreign law companies here,which are either barred from practising Singapore law or allowed to do so only if they team up with a local firm.
Each of the six had to generate a minimum amount of income from work that would otherwise be done abroad.
In the two years from 2009, their total gross revenue in Singapore grew by 25 per cent.
Meanwhile, the legal sector's contribution to the economy has increased from $1.4 billion in 2007 to $1.8 billion last year - despite the global slowdown.
Yesterday, Law Minister K. Shanmugam made clear that only the best would be granted licences. "We want to make sure of the quality, we are looking for firms that can add value and bring new work from overseas into Singapore and add a significant premium to our legal scene."
The scheme stemmed from a 2007 report by a high-level committe that called for the legal services to be liberalised.
Many lawyers from the top firms strongly supported the move. However, the report said some feared Singaporean law practices could end up being marginalised and out-manoeuvred by the foreign competition.
Mr Shanmugam said he also had reservations at first. This was why the foreign firms were licensed only on the condition that they bring in work that is usually done outside Singapore.
"If, by opening up, all we get is work being moved from local law firms to foreign law firms, how does that benefit Singapore? The result must be that new work should come in. The pie must grow bigger."
He added that despite the concerns, Singapore law firms have held their own.
"It has given them some confidence that if they bulk up and they know the market they can compete effectively."
Lawyers said they were not surprised that the scheme was being extended as the move had been expected for some time.
Rajah & Tann managing partner Lee Eng Beng said: "Singapore firms will have to think about how best to compete, present the best proposition to their clients, and retain their share of the market and the talent pool."
The Law Ministry said the minimum number of local lawyers that the firms had to employ were targets based on each company's business projections.
It added that how many licences are awarded at the end of the year will depend on the quality of applications received.
The Straits Times, Wednesday, May 30 2012=)
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Originally posted by Lee012lee:
Law graduates with excellent grades get high paid legal jobs easily but law graduates with poor grades struggle to get legal jobs. These law graduates who cannot get employed by the big law firms and they set up their own one-man legal firm but many of these firms close down between 6 months and 3 years. After the closure, many of them change vocations to become stock brokers, housing agents, insurance agents .....
I heard this from a law lecturer too. Big law firms exclusively hire those with good grades. Those with weaker grades would have difficulty finding jobs. Maybe limited to smaller local law firm.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Nonsense, total misconcept, you just look at those men on trial for sex with underage, that lawyer subbhas is earning big buck from each,..be a defence lawyers, sure to earn big, lots of men crimes to come.Those are top earner in the industry. U can't say football players earn alot by looking at Messi or Beckham.
Salary(excluding top and bottom) for lawyer with 4yrs+ exp is more within 7k per mth. Fresh grads pay ard 3k+. Not all earning millionss. Most don't
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Originally posted by Nigho17:
I heard this from a law lecturer too. Big law firms exclusively hire those with good grades. Those with weaker grades would have difficulty finding jobs. Maybe limited to smaller local law firm.
My experience so far is that you are accepted via 3 categories:
1) If any of your family member was or is in the law firm, your chances of getting the job is pretty much right up there.
2) Marketability. How marketable are you ? If you have what it takes, you will also most likely get the job.
3) If you dont have 1 and 2 , the ordinary rule will apply. Hella Good grades.
Lol
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Thought they opened up the sector to get more foreign law firms to set up in sg?
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Originally posted by charlize:
Thought they opened up the sector to get more foreign law firms to set up in sg?
Still depend on the overall demand ma.
Gov building more hdb, price still going up.
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Originally posted by Nigho17:
Still depend on the overall demand ma.
Gov building more hdb, price still going up.
They import so many people every year.
Definitely got business for law firms.
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If you're taking a recognised degree in law, you better study hard. Second-upper honours and above graduates are called to bar.
Anyway, lawyers and doctors don't earn much in Singapore. If you want to be rich, you have to run a business.
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Free legal help on the rise
Lawyers clock in more hours while some law firms open dedicated pro bono departments
Jeremy Lim
LAWYERS here are giving up more of their time to provide free legal help to the needy.
The Law Society said that each lawyer reported an average of 14 hours of voluntary work last year. This is four hours more than the previous year's figure, the society told The Sunday Times.
This is a small victory for the profession, which has in recent years turned the spotlight on pro bono work, or service for the public good - though it is still far from its pledged target of 25 hours a year.
The recent push for pro bono work has come from the top guns in the legal system - the Chief Justice, Attorney-General and the Law Society president - and some law firms have responded by institutionalising their pro bono efforts.
This year, at least two firms - Drew & Napier, and WongPartnership - have opened dedicated pro bono departments. Harry Elias, another top firm, declared that its lawyers would each contribute at least 25 hours each year.
Last year, volunteer lawyers from the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (Clas) and the Association of Criminal Lawyers (ACLS) defended more than 350 people who were accused of crimes but could not afford lawyers. Both Clas and ACLS are non-government groups that provide free legal advice to the needy.
Lawyers said it is sometimes difficult to take on pro bono work because of the long hours it can require. Simple cases can take 12 hours, and complex one might take 70 hours, said the Law Society's director of pro bono services Lim Tanguy.
Case in point: Ismil Kadar, 44, who was charged with drug offences last week, escaped death row last year after being cleared of a murder he did not commit.
His lawyer, Mr R. Thrumurgan, fought his case pm bono for six years to prove his innocence.
Criminal lawyer Josephus Tan, 33, who clocked more than 700 pro bono hours last year, said: "What appears to be very straightforward can take a sudden twist and become very protracted."
Mr Tan, who earns about $7,000 a month, said he tries to spend a third of his working hours serving the less fortunate.
Commercial lawyer Cyril Chua, 41, who does more than 200 hours of volunteer work a year, said it is important for firms to encourage pro bono work. He said lawyers sometimes feel pressured not to take up pro bono cases, which do not bring in revenue for the firm.
Said Mr Chua: "If they take on a big pro bono project, their partners may not be happy. This is mostly in big firms, where they have a more structured way of evaluating the profitability of a lawyer."
Mr Chua runs Project Law Help, an initiative of the Law Society that match-makes law firms with charities that need legal advice. For example, The Spastic Children's Association of Singapore is supported by law firm Lau & Gur.
The rise in pro bono hours appears to be led by a new generation of lawyers who value personal fulfilment beyond pay and prestige, some lawyers said.
Clas chairman Gopinath Pillai said that a rising number of new volunteers are fresh faces passionate about helping the needy.Lawyer Nadia Yeo, 25, takes on such cases because she wants to represent the underdog, she said.
"Clas helps to fili the gap, to ensure that even though they are not well off, they are no less well-represented in court," Ms Yeo said.
Last year, the lawyer from Rodyk & Davidson defended a girl in her late teens arrested for shoplifting with some friends. It was her second offence, and the court could have given her a fine or a few months' jail. Because of Ms Yeo's work, the teenager was put on probation, instead of being convicted.
Ms Yeo said she was heartened to learn later that her former client was scoring As at school and doing well.
"As defence counsel, we are in a position where we can advise these accused persons to change for the better," she said.
Juvenile and family lawyer June Lim, 25, said her main aim in being a lawyer is to use her skills to help the underprivileged.
The lawyer at Tan]inHwee LLC works with aid organisations like the Humanitarian Organisation for Migrant Economics to defend those who need urgent help.
One case the lawyer took on in 2010 involved a Vietnamese woman in her 20s who was brought in by a bridal agency.
The woman married a Singaporean, but four years later, he was retrenched. He kicked her out of the house and threatened to kill her if she came back.
On the day of the trial, the man finally agreed to compensate her with $7,000.
Without a lawyer, the woman could have been forced to return to Vietnam empty-handed as she was on a two-week social visit pass, said Ms Lim. She added: "There is this gap in our legal aid services, and it's up to the pure goodwill of lawyers to fill it."
ABOUT PRO BONO
FREE legal aid has a 2,000-year history, going by its Latin term pro bono publico, meaning "for the public good".
It can be traced to Roman times and has been present in Britain since 1275, said Singapore Management University law professor Rathna Nathan.
"It was an ethical obligation or social responsibility," she said. "In ancient time, people became lawyers and doctors to serve society, not to make money."
In Singapore today, pro bono work includes free or discounted legal help for the needy, or for charitable organisations.
But pro bono work differ from ordinary volunteering because professianal skills are needed.
Only certified lawyers can serve under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, for example.
Within the legal profession, there are different specialisations.
Some corporate lawyers may feel uncomfortable doing criminal work, and prefer to volunteer with charities, such as the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped.
Lawyers who normally handle cases for properties and divorces may prefer to volunteer in those areas.
Jeremy Lim
home, The Sunday Times, Pg 16
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"Beautiful"! The evil bringing in foreigners to practise law in Singapore, hahahahahahha!
Which industry in Singapore has not been "invaded" by the evils ruling this land by bringing in foreigners at the expense of locals?????
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Easy to find jobs, hard to find good jobs. Many law jobs are shit.
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Practise law in Singapore??????? Wahahahahha...... we know it is kangaroo court here la. Law is not above all, some people are above the law in Singapore.
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What laws, so troublesome, have to study hard, learn by hard, just go set up a good law Mee store somewhere around bugis and you become overnite sensation, within 5 years can buy private property liao, I also like to eat Law Mee, Old airpot road Qeueing
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Originally posted by dangerboi:
If you're taking a recognised degree in law, you better study hard. Second-upper honours and above graduates are called to bar.
Anyway, lawyers and doctors don't earn much in Singapore. If you want to be rich, you have to run a business.
You sure?
My family doctor told me he earn about 20k to 30k a month that is net profit after deducting rental, staff salary, medicine cost etc
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Wah so imaginative advertising website now.
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Originally posted by Maeanneteng:
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Are you following the footsteps of one of the Dim Sum Dollies.
From law to performing.