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He did not elaborate on this in an interview he gave Inter Se, a publication of the Singapore Academy of Law. His comments were made in the broader context of his views on the role of Senior Counsel, his life as one and the advice he would give younger lawyers. Two other Senior Counsel, Mr Harry Elias and Ms Deborah Barker, also fielded these questions. A separate article in the magazine explained that members of the Forum keep in touch through e-mail and hold two dinners a year; among other things, they also look into how Senior Counsel can contribute to the administration of justice here. Senior Counsel Michael Hwang, who heads the Forum, cited the harried schedules of Senior Counsel as the main reason the Forum was not doing more for lawyers. They have to 'juggle with the higher expectations from the Bench, Bar and clients as a result of their appointments', he said. Still, he said, Senior Counsel like former Law Society president Philip Jeyaretnam were shining examples who served the profession 'above and beyond the call of duty'. Justice Rajah, elsewhere in the interview, described the Senior Counsel title as 'an 'independent mark of quality' and that, as a group, they had made 'a serious difference to the litigation landscape in Singapore'. He added, however, it must be recognised that some 'extremely good lawyers' were, for one reason or another, not Senior Counsel, and that hiring one did not always guarantee victory in court. As a case in point, he recalled a matrimonial case in which two well-known Senior Counsel were out-argued by a 'feisty female' who represented herself. The case was billed in a local daily as 'Jane and two Tarzans', he said, if his memory served him correctly. 'It was the talk of the town,' he added. Recalling his own appointment as a Senior Counsel 10 years ago, he said being part of the first batch made it 'special' and 'a matter of considerable pride and satisfaction'. He acknowledged that it benefited his practice with then law firm Rajah & Tann and encouraged him to grow the firm fast. But he is ever aware that with the perks and privileges of becoming a Senior Counsel comes 'a responsibility to the legal fraternity to share knowledge and expertise'. Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong's speech at the opening of the new legal year last week also addressed this point. He noted that while the committee that selects Senior Counsel used to focus on advocacy skills, legal knowledge and professional integrity as the main qualifying criteria, it will in future also consider the lawyer's contributions in the form of teaching, writing, research and committee work for the various law institutions.
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