CORPORATE lawyers are planning to set up a full-time secretariat similar to the one for the Law Society, and to start a graduate diploma course for in-house lawyers.

These ideas come from an independent consultant hired by the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA).

The SCCA's role in growing corporate legal services here is being increasingly recognised, as the group contributes to and speaks for the interests of in-house counsel on issues that concern the legal community.

Since it was set up in 2002, it has attracted more than 450 corporate counsel from over 250 multinational firms, statutory boards and organisations.

Last December, in its report on developing the Singapore legal sector, a committee chaired by Justice V. K. Rajah identified the SCCA's potential as a professional body for the in-house legal sector, among other things.

The SCCA is represented in and contributes to various bodies like the Singapore Academy of Law, the Competition Commission of Singapore and the National University of Singapore Law School Advisory Board.

SCCA president Angeline Lee said its presence on these bodies reflected not only 'the voice of the in-house sector, but also the voice of commerce and industry'.

Speaking at the SCCA's annual dinner on Friday, she said the new diploma course will be launched possibly with an international service provider. The date for its launch has not been set.

Among those at the dinner were Justice Rajah, Justice Chan Seng Onn and Solicitor-General Walter Woon.

Praising the SCCA's moves to upgrade and expand, Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin, who spoke at the event, said the need for in-house lawyers would grow as the Government pushed towards making Singapore the location of choice for multinationals.