CJ launches landmark book on trial advocacy
Modern Advocacy is a look into the minds of
Singapore’s top legal eagles

Singapore, 25 July 2008 – Seventeen of Singapore’s most eminent Senior Counsel, two incumbent High Court judges and one retired Judge of Appeal have collaborated to write a book on trial advocacy that will give aspiring advocates an opportunity to learn the ropes from those who have succeeded.

Modern Advocacy: Perspectives from Singapore was officially launched by The Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong today. Speaking at the launch, Chief  ustice Chan said that contrary to anecdotal evidence, the litigation Bar is thriving. Nearly 30 per cent or about 1200 lawyers in Singapore are litigators and the majority, about 1,000 of them are largely junior advocates. Chief Justice Chan said, “This book is a timely reminder that litigation has a redeeming value in the administration of justice and one worthy of pursuit as a career.”

Modern Advocacy: Perspectives from Singapore is the first Singapore work to look at the craft of advocacy from a local perspective. It covers specific aspects of trials, different types of advocacy and provides tips and advice on attaining success, achieving a healthy work-life balance, dealing with the media, and adhering to the unwritten but essential code of etiquette.

The 20 chapters, each with a distinct voice that reflects its author, are written by Singapore’s top advocates, almost all of whom are Senior Counsel (“SC”) including Mr K Shanmugan SC who is currently Singapore’s Law Minister, Mr Davinder Singh SC, Mr Harry Elias, SC and Mr Philip Jeyaretnam SC. The title of Senior Counsel is a mark of distinction accorded to the best and most skilful advocates at the Bar.

Mr Michael Hwang, Convenor of the Forum of Senior Counsel said, “This book is a shining example of the willingness of Senior Counsel as a body to share the benefit of their learning and experience, and in some cases their proprietary techniques and trade secrets, with younger members of the Bar.”

Modern Advocacy: Perspectives from Singapore will be a recommended text for second-year law students at the National University of Singapore.

Modern Advocacy: Perspectives from Singapore is available in both premium leather-bound edition and soft cover edition at major bookstores in Singapore. Orders can also be placed on-line via the Singapore Academy of Law website www.sal.org.sg. For more information, call 63324388.
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About Academy Publishing
Academy Publishing is a division of the Singapore Academy of Law. It was officially launched on 18 May 2007 by the President of the Academy, the Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong. This division was set up to publish books and other texts on Singapore law, and its objectives are threefold:
To provide affordable legal materials to the legal profession (including corporate counsel), law academics, law students, and the Judiciary; to provide an alternative avenue to the academics in our law schools to publish their writings and thereby to encourage them to produce more works and to disseminate the laws of Singapore to a wider public in the region and internationally.

The titles to be published are selected by a Commissioning Panel helmed by the Honourable Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong. Two series of books are currently planned: the Law Practice Series, and the Monograph Series.

Academy Publishing is not profit-driven and its immediate priority is to publish books on areas of law that fulfil practice and student needs, although other kinds of legal texts will also be included. The writers who have already agreed to publish specific titles with Academy Publishing include Supreme Court Judges, practitioners and academics.

About Singapore Academy of Law
The Singapore Academy of Law is the umbrella body of the legal community in Singapore and has more than 7,000 members.

The Academy’s activities are driven by three strategic priorities – enhancing legal knowledge, improving efficiency of legal practice through the use of technology and supporting the legal industry. The work in each of these areas is directed towards raising the standards and quality of legal practice and building a strong legal community in Singapore.

Besides its role as the official law reporting agency in Singapore, the Academy’s other functions include providing continuing legal education for its members, legal publications, promoting legal research and scholarship, the reform and development of the law, and alternative dispute resolution.

For more details on the Singapore Academy of Law, visit www.sal.org.sg