This is my last semester, and from the looks of it, I am not likely to fall within the requirements set out by the Board of Legal Education for Australian university graduates that would allow me to practice in Singapore. This is not something I am proud of, but I am also not afraid to admit that I have let myself down.
I know that there is that “second chance” route for qualifying that the powers that be recently mentioned in the press, but so far there is no mention of graduates from Australian unis: the focus is on those who have qualified to practice in England and Wales, and Hong Kong. And I don’t know if I want to start from the bottom again in Singapore after having worked in another jurisdiction for 3 years.
So here I am, humbly seeking advice from those who have gone before me, and have no doubt done far better than I have. What should I do? Where do I go?
24 Comments
Academia…
Sounds like a kind of bread with nuts in it doesnt it….
“but I am also not afraid to admit that I have let myself down”
why do u say u have let yourself down? There are ways to define success other than ‘being able to practice law in singapore after my undergraduate degree’
perhaps you are not meant be a lawyer in Singapore. if so, accept the fact, and move on. There are so many other things in life that u can pursue that are much more important and will be much more meaningful.
this setback is only as significant as u let it become.
inspir3d:
I guess when I say I let myself down, I mean that the requirements are not something that are completely out of my reach, but because of a lack of focus or effort on my part, I have failed to meet those requirements.
I don’t know what the requirements are re Oz-educated lawyers, but what about practice in the UK?
Jol:
Actually I should have no problems qualifying for practice in Victoria, I just need PR status to legally work here. I certainly wouldn’t mind practice in the UK… maybe I’ll go look it up.
The main thing is that I can’t practice back home though… not that I really need to if I could practice somewhere else, but I still want to go home some day, you know?
heh
Well, u can always come back and work as an in house legal consultant for some MNCs after practising law in Victoria for 2 to 3 yrs.
Maybe u can email Mr Wang and find out more abt it.
i’m not sure if it’s the same in Victoria, but in the UK we have to do a LPC before training, and to do the LPC, all you need is a 2:2.
doing the LPC gives quite a lot of people breathing space, giving them a year to apply for training contracts with law firms and also to figure out if practice is what they are interested in. also, when i was looking at the options last year for a back-up plan in case i didn’t get a training contract, i contemplated doing a masters in law or another area, as this would allow me to go through the application process for training contracts another time.
if you’re not interested, or not keen, on practice (it’s not the only choice, anyway), many of my friends and fellow law graduates are in the finance/banking industry, and also doing consultancy.
the world is your oyster, dude.
Training contracts are not that easy to get, whether they are in England or HK. Especially if you don’t have a local degree. I don’t think doing a masters in law helps, a masters only helps once you have qualified or are really serious about academia.
I would say qualify in Victoria. Then try to get a job in a company or financial institution in Singapore or otherwise to get the relevant experience. I think you need to make sure that your experience will count towards enabling you to qualify in Singapore ultimately - best to clarify/check with the Law Society or Board of Legal Education for that.
The requirements for foreign lawyers to practice in Singapore have changed, but I feel that it is still rather restrictive so far (& it’s a damn long route). Maybe U can write in to enquire abt OZ graduates.
I’ve some friends who are waiting for Spore gahmen to review those requirements so that they can practice & in the meantime, working as an in-house consultant or paralegal. Of cos, like U, they can go on to practice in UK or OZ, but I think they experience a kind of a pain or regret that they din make it back to Spore to practice.
Some have gone on to practice in OZ or UK, but from what I see, they are having a tough time as a practictioner in a foreign country. This is from what I see, can’t speak for all.
Others have moved on to other areas, taking on a 2nd degree or going into another industry. Agree that getting a Masters will help much unless U are already qualified. Not much point in that.
It depends on how badly U wana practice in Spore. U gotta ask urself what do U want?
Sorry, a correction:
“Agree that getting a Masters WUN help much unless U are already qualified.”
Oh ya, on a seperate note, dun let this be a regret or disappointment, there are many other options available! I like what ejl says “The world is your oyster”. Woohoo~~~
I think the Masters really makes a difference to some firms. Every current new trainee at my firm has one. But I think it’s different for the more traditional English firms. Depends on what kind of firm you’re looking for.
Fact - blue chip English law firms (eg Magic Circle) will focus on your secondary school, junior college and university. If you don’t get past that, they won’t even interview you. Don’t forget each of these firms get at least 3000 applications every year for say 100 positions.
Fact - Masters will help if you intend to specialise in a particular area. However, English firms being what they are, would still prefer for you to pursue your Masters in England.
Fact - there are now many European students who are competing for those same places in the English firms (since most of them can now work freely in the European Union). And given that these firms will need to apply for a work permit for you, you will have to prove yourself to be a fairly outstanding candidate before they will bother to do so.
I am just saying all this from my experience of working in London as a trainee and later as a solicitor. The work permit issue was a major issue then for me because I didn’t have any prior experience and they were very much taking a risk with me.
“Fact - blue chip English law firms (eg Magic Circle) will focus on your secondary school, junior college and university. If you don’t get past that, they won’t even interview you. Don’t forget each of these firms get at least 3000 applications every year for say 100 positions.”
I’d agree with this. I work for an American firm and the position is different, though - I think they are really big on the Masters. Every single one of us trainees has a Masters! However, since Han seems neither exceptionally interested in the Masters nor in working in the UK, be it in an American or in an English firm, maybe the point is moot.
Erh, try contacting the BLE directly? You never know, they might just make an exception.
i second that idea. the minister is allowed to make exemptions (i suspect it’s done at the BLE’s recommendation). if you’re intent on practicing in sg, then go all out, exhaust all avenues.
last but not least, good luck and work doubly hard this sem. don’t lose sight of your dreams.
Hey there Han. I didn’t know you were doing your law degree in Australia. Which uni are you in atm?
I sympathise with you on your predicament. I’m not doing law though, doing accounting. Last sem, I underperformed at uni as well, which in this sem it looks like I’ll be continuing to do so. I’m not exactly a lazy or unfocused person, but more like I’m not as ’smart’ as I would like to be, unfortunately.
I’ve had a S’porean law student friend before, and from what I heard from him, yeah, S’pore’s legal fratenity is like a very tight-arsed body. They aren’t even that keen to accept foreign degrees, even though Australian unis ranked respectably in the Top 50 or 100. If I remember correctly, they are more receptive towards law degrees coming from the UK.
Do they set a certain class you have to obtain to be able to practice law in Singapore?
Like what many of the people have commented before me, I suggest you just put roots down in Victoria and try to be admitted to practice law in Oz. I admit you’ll have to compete with many locals and such, but maybe you can specialise in places where there are shortages of lawyers? Tax law comes to mind, since it relates to a shortage of accountants in Oz right now.
Or you can also just go into the financial or banking sector, like what’s been mentioned before also. Many law students don’t become lawyers in the end.
Anyway, good luck!
I empathized with Han. My situation is similar to his. I graduated from Cambridge but am not practising in UK partly because I couldn’t get a training contract (it’s really tough even if you are from Oxbridge) and partly because I want to go home to Singapore and practise. But I can’t practise in Singapore because of the 2:1 requirement. Now I’m working for a US Investment Bank in the legal department. The pay is really good compared to practising and the hours are decent. I don’t think I want to practice anymore. It doesn’t make much difference whether you are practising or not unless you want to go to court. But if you are into corporate / company law, then you don’t need to be a practising lawyer. You can go in-house or offshore law firms. Start off with a paralegal or something and then move up to be the in-house counsel. Really, not being admitted doesn’t make much difference. Where you work does.
Hi Han,
Wow, you are going through exactly what I went through 6 years ago. I bet you get those sweaty palms and wake up in the middle of the night shouting “why???”. First off, its probably not because of your grades or for lack of trying, but really a situation of bad circumstances. Ok so you can’t qualify to practice in Singapore at this moment - big deal. Would you really want to in the first place? By all indications I think most Singaporean lawyers burn out in 3 years, and except for the elite few, do boring mundane tasks every day. What you could do is apply for PR status in Victoria. Do you have any relatives that might be able to sponsor you? I think when I applied, there was a special visa for graduates who applied within 6 months of completing their degree. Highly recommend you check it out. If that doesn’t work, I would suggest working in a law related field, in house or for some of those offshore firms in Singapore as a paralegal. Bide your time and then apply for PR - I think at this stage you need 3 years work experience. That work experience will come in handy when you apply to law firms in Australia. It will happen for you and will happen quickly. I now live in Sydney and I’m a Senior Associate at a prestigious law firm - it took me a long time (6 years) to get here, but you know what? If its really what you want i.e. to practise as a lawyer - its all worth it. Best of luck, having been through the same thing, I can really understand how you feel, but keep at it and you will get there.
Hi Hal and Same Old
I’m glad that I came by your comments. I can empathise with Han as I am somewhat in the same situation, graduating soon with an Aussie law degree. It’s interesting to read both of your experiences, and I am paving my way to go down the path of becoming a paralegal in an offshore law firm in SG while working towards being admitted into legal practice of an Australian jurisdiction (via the College of Law or Practical Legal Training at the Australian National University).
It will be appreciated if you both could share more of your experience in shaping your legal career. I would certainly love to learn more from you. My email: agratefulheart@gmail.com
Cheers
Dear Macrothinker:
It would be great to share experiences. My email is: cambridge.gymnast@gmail.com. Anyone else to share experiences, please email me as well. Singapore is not the only place where you can practice!! There are other jurisdictions that will accept your qualifications.
Thanks.
Regards
Hal
Hi guys… fellow brother in law here.
My suggestion after 5 years in the profession. Qualify in Australia and then UK if you can. Go all the way there while you can.. get yourself some experience in practise, see if it is really your cup of tea. Australian PR will be easy if you have work experience.
If you move back here with a 2nd lower and with no prior experience, you will be competing with the NUS grads here for scraps. Not worth it.
In consolation, there are a lot of us here who wish we could have your lifestyle in Australia… *sighz*
My advice is not to bother with practise in Singapore. Extremely competitive and competitive for no good reason that I can see.
Australia is not a bad place to start your legal career. You have the qualifications. You have the brains. I’m also fairly sure you have a good work ethic. There are a number of areas of practise in Australia that you will never be able to fully develop in Singapore if you are interested, eg, criminal defense.
Think of it as a blessing in disguise.
After reading your entry and the comments posted by your readers, i’m confused as to whether I should accept my offer from Uni of Tasmania. Is there really such a great disadvantage for me to go and get my Law degree in Australia? Are prospects that baD??