PRESS RELEASE

Deferment of Implementation of Recommendations of the

Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers

1. The Ministry of Law (“MinLaw”) announced on 27 February 2023 that the

implementation of the new professional training regime for lawyers, as
recommended by the Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers
(“CPTL”), will be deferred and will apply from the 2024 session of Part B of the
Singapore Bar Examinations onwards. This takes into account the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, and provides more time for industry stakeholders to adjust
to these changes.

Background
2. The CPTL was set up by the Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon in
2016 to conduct a root-and-branch review of the professional training regime and
to make recommendations on how it might be modified to raise the quality and
consistency of training standards across law practices.

3. The CPTL made three key structural recommendations1:

a. Uncouple the call to the Bar from the right to practice as a lawyer;
b. Lengthen the practice training period from six months to one year; and
c. Raise the standard and stringency of the Part B examinations.

4. In August 2018, MinLaw announced that it had accepted in-principle the CPTL’s
recommendations2 and that implementation of the key changes would take place
from the 2023 session of Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations onwards.

5. A Working Group, comprising representatives from MinLaw, the Singapore

Institute of Legal Education, the Supreme Court of Singapore, and the Law Society
of Singapore, was set up to implement and operationalise the CPTL’s
recommendations.

1
The full report by the Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers (CPTL) is available
here.
2
For more information, refer to MinLaw’s press release (“In-principle acceptance by MinLaw
of the recommendations by the CPTL”, August 2018).

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6. In 2019, MinLaw also conducted a public consultation3 on the proposals to
implement the recommendations of the CPTL. The majority of respondents,
comprising a good mix of practitioners, in-house counsel, law students and
members of the public, agreed with the various recommendations on
implementation put forward by the Working Group.

7. MinLaw has considered the suggestions received, and where appropriate, worked
with the CPTL Working Group to incorporate the feedback into the Legal
Profession Act Amendment Bill, which will be tabled for First Reading in Parliament
later this year.

Deferment of Implementation

8. The legal industry has provided feedback that more time is required to adapt to the
changes recommended by the CPTL, to take into account the impact of the COVID-
19 pandemic. After careful consideration, MinLaw will defer the implementation of
the key structural recommendations to apply from the 2024 session of Part B of the
Singapore Bar Examinations onwards.

MINISTRY OF LAW
28 FEBRUARY 2023

For media enquiries, please contact:

Amelia Leong (Ms)
Email: Amelia_Leong@mlaw.gov.sg
Contact Number: 90266111

3
For more information, refer to MinLaw’s press release (“Public consultation on the
recommendations of the CPTL”, November 2019).

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ANNEX: FAQS ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF LAWYERS

General
1. What is the Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers
(“CPTL”)?

The Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers was set up by the
Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon in August 2016 to conduct a
root-and-branch review of the professional training regime for lawyers and to
make recommendations on how it might be modified to raise the quality and
consistency of training standards across law practices.
The CPTL was chaired by Justice Quentin Loh and comprised 14 other
members including representatives from Singapore law practices, the Law
Society of Singapore, the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association, the
Supreme Court, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and the Ministry of Law
(“MinLaw”).
Following the completion of the CPTL’s work, its report was submitted for
MinLaw’s consideration in 2018. Please refer to the CPTL’s report here.

2. What are the changes recommended by the CPTL?

The key recommendations of the CPTL include: (a) uncoupling admission to

the Singapore Bar from the completion of a practice training contract; (b)
lengthening the practice training period from six months to one year; and (c)
raising the standard and stringency of Part B of the Singapore Bar
Examinations. The Committee also made 17 other specific recommendations
to address discrete issues within the professional training regime.
The implementation of these recommendations will help raise the quality of
legal training and better equip law graduates with the necessary expertise to
meet the demands of the future economy and society.

3. Have the recommendations of the CPTL been accepted?

In August 2018, after careful consideration, MinLaw accepted in principle the

recommendations of the CPTL. MinLaw has been working with stakeholders,
including the Law Society of Singapore, the Supreme Court of Singapore and
the Singapore Institute of Legal Education, on the implementation of the
recommendations.
Please refer to MinLaw’s press release (“In-principle acceptance by MinLaw
of the recommendations by the CPTL”, August 2018) for more information.

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4. When will the recommendations of the CPTL be implemented?

It was previously announced that the following three key recommendations

of the CPTL will apply from the 2023 session of Part B of the Singapore Bar
Examinations onwards.
a) Uncoupling admission to the Singapore Bar from the completion of a
practice training contract;
b) Lengthening the practice training period from six months to one year;
and
c) Raising the standard and stringency of Part B of the Singapore Bar
Examinations.
After careful consideration of feedback from the industry on more time being
required to adapt to the changes, to take into account the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, MinLaw announced on 27 February 2023 that the
implementation of these three key recommendations will be deferred to apply
from the 2024 session of Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations onwards.
The Committee also made 17 other specific recommendations to address
discrete issues within the professional training regime. These relate to
training standards, as well as the processes involved in applying for and
obtaining practice training contracts. These 17 recommendations, which will
support the new professional training regime, are being implemented
progressively in consultation with the relevant stakeholders (e.g. the
Supreme Court of Singapore, the Law Society of Singapore, the Singapore
Institute of Legal Education, law practices, and local law schools).

5. Who will be affected by the recommendations of the CPTL?

Qualified persons* who pass Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations (Part
B) before the 2024 session will not be affected by the changes. They will
come under the current regime and need to complete a 6-month practice
training contract before they can be admitted to the Singapore Bar and obtain
a practising certificate.
Qualified persons* who pass Part B from the 2024 session onwards will come
under the new regime. They will be admitted to the Singapore Bar after
passing Part B. If they wish to practise law, they will be required to complete
a 12-month practice training contract before they can obtain a practising
certificate.
For more information about being a “qualified person” and details on Part B
or practice training, please refer to the website of the Singapore Institute of
Legal Education.

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Questions from Law Students / Prospective Part B candidates

6. I have negotiated a 12-month practice training contract with a

Singapore Law Practice, what should I do?

If you are sitting for the 2023 session of Part B Bar Examinations and have
already negotiated a 12-month practice training contract, you may wish to
contact the law firm to renegotiate a 6-month practice training contract which
is the current requirement to be admitted to the Singapore Bar.

7. I am an overseas graduate from a Scheduled Overseas University and

will be completing my law degree course at the end of 2023, will I be
under the new regime?

For returning overseas law graduates, you will still be required to first pass
Part A of the Singapore Bar Examinations and complete a 6-month period of
Relevant Legal Training before sitting for Part B of the Singapore Bar
Examinations.
If you will be sitting for the 2024 session of Part B of the Singapore Bar
Examinations, you will come under the new regime.

Questions from Law Firms

8. Why is the implementation of the new regime being deferred to apply

from the 2024 Session of Part B onwards?

MinLaw recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to

the legal industry which has felt significant impact and is in the process of
adjusting to a new normal. We have received feedback from the industry that
more time is required to adapt to the changes recommended, given the
recent resumption of travel and business activities.

9. My firm has offered 12-month practice training contracts to prospective

trainees who will be registering for the 2023 session of Part B of the
Singapore Bar Examinations, are these offers still valid?

Singapore Law Firms are advised to contact the prospective trainees to

update the practice training contract duration from a 12-month period to a 6-
month period as this is the current requirement for admission to the
Singapore Bar.
Please refer to the website of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education for
details on practice training and admission requirements.