Small law firms face difficulty recruiting new blood
By Rachel Chan
SMALL law firms have a big problem: recruiting new blood.
The four largest firms here snap up the lion's share of fresh graduates. Many among National University of Singapore's (NUS) law cohort end up at Drew and Napier, WongPartnership, Allen & Gledhill and Rajah & Tann, observed fourth-year NUS student Cannis Seng, 26.
Now, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong (right) - noting that 17 lawyers from small firms got into trouble for misconduct last year - wants the Law Society to "enhance the role" of such firms and "make a sustained effort to
reduce the incidence of malpractice in such firms".
Speaking at the opening of the legal year in the Supreme Court last Saturday, he acknowledged that the difficulties faced by these firms "result from having to compete for low-income work with insufficient manpower and other resources".
Small law firms are run by five lawyers or fewer, and 90 per cent of Singapore's law firms fall into that category.
When it comes to salary or reputation, they are unable to match the big four. Yet, there are advantages to starting small.
Small or mid-sized firms offer more hands-on opportunities.
"Typically, a large firm has more red tape and bureaucracy," third-year student Kwang Shihao, 23, acknowledged.
One way to draw more new graduates to small firms might be to increase interaction between the two.
"Big names are often regurgitated at school, but small firms are often unheard of," said Mr David Ng, 42, a general litigator who runs a one-man show at Hameed & Co.
"The Law Society can try to educate undergraduates by giving talks on the benefits of joining a small firm, and perhaps making it compulsory for them to be attached to small firms in the first two years."
Mr Peter Low, a former president of the Law Society and the current head of the litigation division of Colin Ng & Partners, said: "It would help if the small firms themselves come up and form the leadership - sit in the Law Society council and help to implement policies geared towards helping small firms."
Yet, for now, even new lawyers who know their disadvantages still choose the big firms.
"Nowadays, people are no longer adventurous. They prefer to take the safe route by joining a large firm," said Mr Ng.
A brand name is also linked to high pay increments and bonuses, he added.
