The Future of Lawyers: An Extraordinary Colloquium
Amidst Singapore’s circuit-breaker period, over 320 members of the Law Society “zoomed in” on 19 May 2020 for a full day online webinar organised by the Law Society. The topic? Not the latest trends in commercial law, or 100 ways
Déjà Vu May Not Mean Disqualification by an Adversary
This article examines and evaluates the underlying circumstances where the lawyer or law firm concerned may be held to owe an equitable duty of confidence to an adversary in Singapore, when acting for different clients in successive claims against the
Acting Against the Same Opponent in Similar Matters
Rebalancing Client Choice and Confidentiality This article examines the competing policy considerations involved where a lawyer acts for different clients against the same opponent in similar claims. With reference to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and English cases, it suggests that the
The Lawyer’s Duty to Assert Legal Advice Privilege
This article outlines the general contours of a lawyer’s duty to assert legal advice privilege, with reference to English common law cases. Four key issues are examined, including the rationale for and costs of asserting legal advice privilege. Introduction In the 2015
Should Lawyers be Coders?
Introduction Scratch, Python and C++, three of the world’s most well-known coding languages, may not be familiar to many lawyers. In recent years, the coding phenomenon has taken the world by storm with coding being touted not only as “the most
Developing the Inner Art of Lawyering
By the time you read this article, the law practice that you are or will be practising in would have received a complimentary copy of the Professional Ethics Digest 2019 (the Digest), published by the Law Society. The Digest compiles
Group Witness Preparation – Psychology Matters
Introduction Improper witness preparation for the purposes of trial (referred to as “witness preparation” in this article) has been a highly controversial issue in adversarial legal systems. Different common law countries have adopted different approaches in drawing the line between permissible
Future-proofing for Lawyers 101
The Future of Law The future of law is not a subject that lawyers were taught at law school. Neither would it seem to be a priority for the busy practising lawyer, who has to contend with the overwhelming challenges of
Lawyers’ Duties to Prospective Clients
A Clearer Definition of “Prospective Client” is Needed Introduction Lawyers owe ethical duties to prospective clients, such as the duty of confidentiality and the duty to avoid conflicts of interests,[ref] See e.g. Ethics in Practice column, “Duties to Prospective Clients: Ethical
Disclosing Client Confidences to Your Spouse or Significant Other
Introduction In a recent Ohio lawyer disciplinary case, two lawyers from different law firms, who were involved in a personal relationship but not married to each other, were sanctioned for disclosing confidential client information to each other on multiple occasions