<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>May 24, 2009
MINISTRY OF LAW
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Slew of measures to boost S'pore's legal hub status
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By K.C. Vijayan
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Travellers at the U-Tapao Airport trying to leave the country after protesters laid siege to Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International and Don Muang domestic airports last year. The MFA had helped Singaporeans there during the crisis. -- PHOTO: TNP FILE PHOTO
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Singapore's legal services will grow in depth and quality to support key sectors in the economy, position the sector as an engine of growth, and strengthen Singapore's legal infrastructure.
The Law Ministry's addendum to the President's Address highlights several areas in which it will act to create more buzz.
It will review the liberalisation of legal services here in the wake of the recently introduced Qualifying Foreign Law Practice Scheme.
The Government has awarded six licences to foreign heavyweight firms, four of which have already started operating. The other two will do so by next month.
Their presence is contributing to the upbeat mood about Asia and Singapore's role as a legal hub.
To grow its hub status, Singapore is developing a strong arbitration capability and becoming a venue of choice for international arbitration in the Asian region.
The ministry's efforts to promote Singapore have included establishing Maxwell Chambers, the world's first integrated dispute resolution complex, due to open either in late July or early August.
The complex will house several top arbitral institutes like the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Developing a legal service hub will see a demand for good-calibre lawyers. The ministry will put in place a robust framework to meet this need, including revamping the criteria for admission to the Singapore Bar.
It will strengthen the legal infrastructure by reviewing the laws in several areas such as the Criminal Procedure Code and the Legal Aid and Advice Act, and work towards omnibus insolvency legislation.
It will also develop Singapore as a regional intellectual property (IP) education and training hub.
It intends to review the intellectual property laws and regime here, draw more IP service firms as well as promote the development of skilled IP professionals.
It is also working with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts to develop a national spatial data infrastructure known as the Singapore Geospatial Collaborative Environment.
This is a map-based data bank with data centrally collected from various sectors such as health, homeland security and emergency services to serve as an information exchange for both the public and private sectors. The move will not only boost public-sector efficiency, but will also offer potential for new business opportunities.
MINISTRY OF LAW
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Slew of measures to boost S'pore's legal hub status
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By K.C. Vijayan
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Travellers at the U-Tapao Airport trying to leave the country after protesters laid siege to Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International and Don Muang domestic airports last year. The MFA had helped Singaporeans there during the crisis. -- PHOTO: TNP FILE PHOTO
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Singapore's legal services will grow in depth and quality to support key sectors in the economy, position the sector as an engine of growth, and strengthen Singapore's legal infrastructure.
The Law Ministry's addendum to the President's Address highlights several areas in which it will act to create more buzz.
It will review the liberalisation of legal services here in the wake of the recently introduced Qualifying Foreign Law Practice Scheme.
The Government has awarded six licences to foreign heavyweight firms, four of which have already started operating. The other two will do so by next month.
Their presence is contributing to the upbeat mood about Asia and Singapore's role as a legal hub.
To grow its hub status, Singapore is developing a strong arbitration capability and becoming a venue of choice for international arbitration in the Asian region.
The ministry's efforts to promote Singapore have included establishing Maxwell Chambers, the world's first integrated dispute resolution complex, due to open either in late July or early August.
The complex will house several top arbitral institutes like the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Developing a legal service hub will see a demand for good-calibre lawyers. The ministry will put in place a robust framework to meet this need, including revamping the criteria for admission to the Singapore Bar.
It will strengthen the legal infrastructure by reviewing the laws in several areas such as the Criminal Procedure Code and the Legal Aid and Advice Act, and work towards omnibus insolvency legislation.
It will also develop Singapore as a regional intellectual property (IP) education and training hub.
It intends to review the intellectual property laws and regime here, draw more IP service firms as well as promote the development of skilled IP professionals.
It is also working with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts to develop a national spatial data infrastructure known as the Singapore Geospatial Collaborative Environment.
This is a map-based data bank with data centrally collected from various sectors such as health, homeland security and emergency services to serve as an information exchange for both the public and private sectors. The move will not only boost public-sector efficiency, but will also offer potential for new business opportunities.
