SAL Membership Fees

By virtue of section 17 of the Singapore Academy of Law Act, applicable SAL members must pay to the Academy an annual subscription of an amount determined by the Senate which becomes due and payable on the day appointed by the Senate.

The Senate is at liberty:

(a)          to divide members of each category into classes;

(b)          to provide that different amounts are to be paid by different classes and extend over different periods; and

(c)           generally to regulate, and to vary from time to time, the subscriptions payable by members or different classes of members as the Senate thinks fit.

If any member fails to pay his or her annual subscription within 30 days of the subscription becoming due, he or she must pay interest (if any) at the rate determined by the Senate.

Waiver of Membership Fees

SAL Members who satisfy Rule 4 of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Rules1 may apply for a waiver of their Annual Membership Fees.

Grounds for Waiver

SAL may consider waiving the annual membership fees if a member has for a period of at least 2 years   

1. been continuously absent from Singapore;
2. have not been not resident or domiciled in Singapore;
3. have not worked in the profession of law; and or
4. have not been gainfully employed

Conditions for approval of waivers

Minimum period of waivers

The minimum period of waiver is 12 months. Applications for any period less than 12 months will be rejected.

There is no automatic renewal or extension of the approved waiver. Renewals or extensions must be made at least one month before the waiver expiry date. Otherwise, the Academy retains the right to impose annual membership fee the day after the waiver expiry date.

Applications for indefinite waivers will be subject to approval on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must provide an explanation and the necessary supporting documents.

Decision on Application for Waiver

All decisions on waiver applications are final and there is no right of appeal. Waiver applicants must submit all required supporting documents to enable a proper assessment of their application before the start of the waiver application assessment process.

Settlement of arrears

Applicants will be required to settle arrears owing to SAL within 30 days following the approval of the waiver application. The waiver approval will lapse if the outstanding amount is not settled and SAL will continue to bill for future annual fees.

All waivers are subject to the corresponding agreement by members that they will notify the Academy as soon as possible when the circumstances under which they had applied for waiver are no longer valid. Members who had applied for waiver on the grounds of “not being in the profession of law” must notify the Academy immediately should they subsequently return to legal practice or to an area of work related to law. Otherwise, the Academy retains the right to impose annual subscription fees from the commencement date of the waiver period granted. 

Once a member has been granted waiver of annual subscriptions, they will not be entitled to any privileges of SAL membership until they remove the waiver status through an application for reinstatement and resume paying their annual subscriptions.

Documentation Requirements

Please refer to the following table for the documents we require to assess the waiver application:

Grounds for Waiver Application		Required Supporting Documents for Assessment of Waiver Application
a.	be continuously absent from Singapore;	For Work - Official Proof of Employment from Member’s Employer and Work Visa / Permit from Overseas Country of Work
		For Studies - Official Proof of Admission / Matriculation at Overseas Educational Institution and Student Visa from Overseas Country
b.	not be ordinarily resident or domiciled in Singapore;	Official Proof of Permanent Residence outside of Singapore or Proof of Foreign Citizenship without Singapore Permanent Residency rights
c.	not be in the profession of law;	Current official Proof of Employment and official Job Description from Employer containing sufficient details for the ExCo’s assessment of the nature of the member’s job activities
d.	not be gainfully employed	Seeking employment
		1) CPF statement with last employer contribution date
		Sabbatical
		1)  CPF statement with last employer contribution date
		2) Personal Letter
		Retired
		1) CPF statement with last employer contribution date
		2) Retirement Letter (issued with company letterhead)
		Study
		1) School Acceptance Letter
Note: For all of the above required supporting documents, members may redact information such as monetary amounts (e.g. salary quantum or CPF contribution amount / balance etc)

Definition of Members “Not in the Profession of Law”

A member shall be deemed “not to be in the profession of law” if he does not have in force a practising certificate and is not any of the following: 

1. member of the Senate;
2. Judicial Service Officer;
3. Legal Service Officer;
4. PD Officer;
5. Teacher in law at any university or institution of higher learning;
6. Person employed to perform legal work or the duties of a lawyer by the Government, a statutory body, a corporation or an unincorporated association; or
7. “such other person who, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, is carrying on activities so closely connected to the law or the profession of law as to be regarded as being in the profession of law”, this includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:
   1. Data Protection & Governance;
   2. Legal Technology and Legal Innovation;
   3. Intellectual Property and Trademarks/Trustmarks;
   4. Legal Recruitment;
   5. Investment, Mergers & Acquisitions Counsel;
   6. Corporate Secretarial and Compliance;
   7. Law Enforcement;
   8. Intelligence & Security Counsel;
   9. Government Affairs and Public Policy
   10. Any job or position which requires a candidate with qualifications in Law, or have prior knowledge or training in Law, to fill or perform.

 

How to apply for a waiver

Login to the SAL Member Portal to apply for waiver. Only online applications are accepted.

Your application must be supported by the documents listed above.

An application for waiver shall be made one month prior to or during the period to which the application relates, and not later than 3 months after the expiry of each period of 12 months referred to.

If you need any assistance please contact us at (65) 6332-4388, or email [email protected].