Singapore, 29 October 2020 – The Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”) has pledged a further $1 million to support vulnerable segments of the legal profession. More than 4,500 legal professionals—namely younger lawyers[1] and those from small- and medium-sized firms[2]—will benefit from the additional support. This is the second such package rolled out by SAL this year: in May, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who is also President of SAL, announced a $1.9 million scheme to support members and law firms.

More targeted aid

Those eligible for the latest support package will have their 2021 membership fees waived, offering savings of between $128.40 and $374.50 each. The payment of membership fees is a statutory requirement.

To check their eligibility for the waiver, members can refer to this self-assessment tool. To qualify for the membership fee waiver, members must update their particulars with SAL at https://covid.sal.sg/support-package by 30 November 2020. Members who do not meet the criteria set out above but who still require financial support can approach SAL for assistance. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.      

Said Ms Serene Wee, Chief Executive of SAL, “Five months after we announced our first-ever relief package for members, the economic fallout from COVID-19 continues, with no sign of abating any time soon. Many members continue to face challenging times and SAL stands in solidarity with them. With this latest slate of support, we are helping those who need it the most, based on the results of our survey taken in April.”

The earlier support package benefitted more than 9,000 lawyers, giving each member an additional $150 credit to purchase SAL publications and sign up for learning programmes. This credit will expire on 31 March 2021 and has helped lawyers like Mr Jonathan Muk shore up their skills and knowledge. The disputes lawyer at LVM Chambers LLC has widened his knowledge with the additional credit, using it to purchase books on legal professional privilege and the law of restitution. “The credit has made it easier for lawyers like myself to attend webinars and read titles dedicated to practice areas we are interested in.” 

Under the first support tranche, subscribers of legal research portal LawNet also enjoyed a two-month waiver of their basic subscription fees. In addition, 21 small law firms received a free business process re-engineering package to streamline their work practices.

More information on the support packages can be found on SAL’s dedicated COVID-19 microsite (https://covid.sal.sg/). Alternatively, members can reach out to SAL at [email protected] and 6332-4388 for more information.

ENDS