Channel News Asia reports that the Singaporean Law Ministry? has proposed amendments to two pieces of legislation after “extensive public consultations? and incorporating some of the views expressed by legal circles and industry.”…. whatever that means
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here’s the report
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1177112/1/.html
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The two Bills, the Evidence (Amendment) Bill and the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill were tabled for their first reading in Singapore’s Parliament by Law and Foreign Affairs Minister, K Shanmugam.
Changes to the Evidence Act include extending the benefit of legal professional privilege to in-house legal counsel.
Currently, communication between lawyers and their clients are privileged from being disclosed.
This privilege is also now being extended to communication between in-house lawyers and their employees as long as such communication is about legal matters.
The Law Ministry said such an extension will make Singapore attractive as a location for MNCs with regard to their in-house legal departments.
The revised Bill also deletes section 157(d) of the Act, something which Minister Shanmugam had touched upon recently at an event organised by AWARE.
Currently, this provision in the Act permits the credit of a rape victim to be impeached by proof that she is of a generally immoral character.
With the new changes, the admissibility of a victim’s sexual history will depend on whether such evidence is relevant to the case rather than an expressed provision.
Turning to the Legal Profession Bill, changes include widening the scope for the ad hoc admission of Queens’ Counsel from overseas jurisdiction to appear in Singapore Courts in commercial and financial disputes.
But for cases involving purely domestic areas like criminal, family, constitutional and administrative law, a higher threshold will be set for admitting Queens’ Counsel.
The Bill will also further entrench continuing professional education for lawyers.
The Singapore Institute of Legal Education will be given powers to enforce any failure on the part of lawyers to comply with mandatory compulsory education requirements.
It is understood that such requirements would have to be satisfied before the issuing or renewal of practising certificates.
The second reading of the two Bills is set for mid-February.
