By Carolyn Quek

A BOOK that gives a rare glimpse into the minds of some of Singapore's top legal eagles was launched yesterday evening by Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong.

The book, Modern Advocacy: Perspectives From Singapore, is the collaborative effort of several senior counsel, including Law Minister K. Shanmugam, two High Court judges and a retired judge of appeal.

Each of them has helmed one of the book's 20 chapters. It is the first Singapore work to look at the trial process in civil and criminal cases.

The book is like a must-have guide for every young lawyer, with topics such as preparation for trial, cross-examination and ethics.

Called a 'classic text on advocacy and litigation' in the book's foreword by Chief Justice Chan, it will also be a recommended text for second-year law students at the National University of Singapore.

There will also be a series of lectures accompanying the book.

At the launch, the Chief Justice touched on the trend of lawyers going into advisory work for corporations and staying out of court.

But, contrary to popular perception, there was still a 'good number' of litigators around, he said.

Citing statistics from Supreme Court records, he said that about 30 per cent of the 3,540 lawyers here were litigators.

'This book is a timely reminder that litigation has a redeeming value in the administration of justice and is one worthy pursuit as a career,' he said.

The book sprung from an idea the late Justice Lai Kew Chai had more than five years ago, when he was the chairman of the Singapore Academy of Law's (SAL) Professional Affairs Committee. The committee looks into improving the legal system and its practices.

Justice V.K. Rajah later took over as chairman and succeeded in getting the authors to finish their chapters in less than two years.

Law Society president and senior counsel Michael Hwang, who also spoke at the launch, said that the book and lecture series showcased the volunteer spirit of senior counsel.

'This book serves as a shining example of the willingness of senior counsel as a body to share the benefit of their learning and experience...their proprietary techniques and trade secrets, with younger members of the bar,' Mr Hwang said.

The book is available at major bookstores here or can be ordered online through the SAL website, www.sal.org.sg.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 26, 2008.