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NOW that continuing education for lawyers is to become compulsory, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) will be increasing its training programmes.
SAL, the umbrella membership body of the legal fraternity, already conducts courses on continuing legal education (CLE), but attendance, like that at courses organised by other legal bodies, is voluntary.
This is set to change following a report by the Committee to Develop the Legal Services Sector, published earlier this month, which the Government has accepted in principle.
The report said compulsory CLE in Singapore was 'long overdue' to keep lawyers updated on new developments in the ever-changing legal landscape.
It noted that CLE is compulsory in, for example, Britain, the United States and Australia. It also recommended the scheme be regulated and administered by a new Institute of Legal Education.
Continuing-education courses are already part of professional licensing requirements for doctors, accountants and pharmacists 'who are all required to participate regularly in continuing-education activities', the report said.
A SAL spokesman said 'the full details of SAL's role in relation to the new Institute of Legal Education and other legal education providers are still being worked out'.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
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