Singapore to allow foreign lawyers to practice commercial law

Foreign lawyers may soon be permitted to practise commercial law in Singapore, if a proposal to establish a Foreign Practitioner Certificate (FPC) is approved. Currently, the 966 foreign lawyers registered in Singapore are permitted to practise only foreign law. According to the Ministry of Law, the FPC will "encourage more high-calibre foreign practitioners to contribute to expertise to our commercial sector" and to diversify the legal talent in Singapore's commercial sector. Shearman and Sterling's head of international arbitration in Asia, Tay Yu-Jin, noted that it "may also encourage foreign lawyers interested in being based in Singapore to pursue a longer-term career in Singapore".

Singapore to allow foreign lawyers to practice commercial law todayonline.com Wed, Jan 12, 2011