From the Chief Editor

Jerome Kerviel, Zulkifli Amin, David Rasif. It is unsurprising if these names ring a bell. With all the amplified commotion, one would think that honesty and integrity were suddenly values lost. Coping with this problem would require a multi-faceted approach far beyond implementing new regulations (which history has proven can be circumvented) or setting up a compulsory course in law school. The notion of honour must be imbibed from a far younger age, before stark rationality and plain greed set in. Only then can the evils be countervailed.

This issue of Juris grapples with this and more. The opening of the legal year has seen many proposals for change, not least an opening up of the legal sector to foreign firms and changes to the current pupillage training system. We have also found it fit to include a short note on a High Court case concerning a kleptomaniac - one that exemplifies the flexibility and light-handedness of the court. Also featured is our sponsoring firm, Colin Ng & Partners, in view of the impending Law Careers Fair.

Last but not least, we include vital information on the SLR International Writing Symposium, a writing competition-cum-symposium that is open to all undergraduate law students, this time including students from around the world as well. Take part and stand a chance to win the top prize of US$3000!

Have a great month ahead!

(Read the Print Version: Juris Illuminae Vol. 4 Issue 4 Print Edition)

  • Changes to the Legal Profession Training by Rachel Leow

    Legal education and training are set to change, as key recommendations made by a select committee have recently been approved. These proposals include the introduction of a Vocational Training Course (VTC) to replace the current Practical Law Course (PLC), replacement of the pupillage programme with a training contract and compulsory Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for all lawyers. (Read More)

  • Comments on the Proposed Liberalisation of the Legal Sector by Seow Zhixiang

    In September 2007, the Committee to Develop the Singapore Legal Sector, headed by Judge of Appeal Justice V K Rajah, released its Final Report. The Final Report addressed a wide range of issues affecting the legal sector and made a number of progressive recommendations in relation to legal education and access to justice, among other things. (Read More)

  • Lawyers and My Money by George Ichitagan

    The Good Book is right - the love of money is the root of all evil. Since June 2006, three high profile cases of lawyers absconding with clients’ money have made the headlines and the second case was after Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong suggested imposing stricter rules on how small firms handle their clients’ money. (Read More)

  • Kleptomaniac escapes harsher jail term by Mohan Gopalan

    In May 2007, 26-year-old Goh Lee Yin was sentenced by a District Court to one day’s imprisonment and fined $8,000 for theft. Goh, a kleptomaniac who had been shoplifting since she was nine, had taken handbags worth $2,335 off the shelves of Coach and Louis Vuitton. Dissatisfied with the sentence, the prosecution appealed, arguing that a harsher sentence was appropriate since Goh had committed the present offences while on probation for similar shoplifting offences she had committed in 2005. However, VK Rajah JA declined to increase the sentence. (Read More)

  • Law Careers Fair Feature — Colin Ng & Partners-Size Does not Always Matter

    Established in 1988, Colin Ng & Partners (CNP) is consistently identified as being among the top full-service law firms in Singapore by leading legal publications such as the Legal 500. The firm prides itself in its consultative approach, which has helped to cultivate a unique firm culture that is conducive for every member’s development. (Read More)

  • Interview with Prof Jeffrey Pinsler, S.C. by Justin Yeo and Zhong Zewei

    Professor Jeffrey Pinsler, S.C., is one of six new Senior Counsels to be appointed in Legal Year 2008. A leading expert in the field of civil and criminal evidence, procedure and dispute resolution, he most recently published Ethics and Professional Responsibility: A Code for the Advocate and Solicitor (”Ethics: A Code“), widely viewed as a groundbreaking work. (Read More)