Singapore Now Has A 2nd Solicitor General

The Singapore Govt Monitor has reported that? the President and Members of the Singapore Legal Service Commission have appointed Mr Lionel Yee Woon Chin as the Second Solicitor-General for an initial term of 3 years with effect from 1 January 2011.


The release goes on to tell us that? Yee will continue to hold his present appointment as the Director- General of the International Affairs Division, Attorney-General?s Chambers (?AGC?) concurrently with his appointment as Second Solicitor-General.

Here’s his CV

Mr Lionel Yee Woon Chin, aged 44, graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Law from Downing College, the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 1988 on a Public Service Commission Overseas Merit Scholarship.

He obtained a Master of Laws (International Legal Studies) degree from the New York University, USA in 1999 on a Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1993.

Mr Yee started his legal practice as a State Counsel in the Civil Division of the Attorney- General?s Chambers (?AGC?) in May 1991. He was appointed a State Counsel with the International Affairs Division in July 1995.

From May 1997 to August 1998, he served concurrently as the Deputy Director (Legal) in the Ministry of Law and from December 2000 to March 2001, he was attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (?MFA?) where he served as Legal Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations in New York.

On his return to AGC, he served in the International Affairs Division and the Criminal Justice Division before his appointment as the Director-General of the International Affairs Division in July 2008.

He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2001 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2008.

Mr Yee is also a Board Member of the Competition Commission of Singapore and is an Arbitrator and Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He is married to Ms Daphne Chang Wei Hsian.

The Legal Service Commission is established by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.

The President of the Commission is the Honourable the Chief Justice Mr. Chan Sek Keong, and its members are the Attorney-General, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and 6 other members appointed by the President of the Republic of Singapore.

The Attorney-General is appointed by the President of the Republic of Singapore, and his Chambers operates as a separate Organ of State within the Singapore Government.

The Solicitors-General are Permanent Secretary level appointments. The Solicitor-General is Mrs Koh Juat Jong who was appointed on 11 April 2008.