The Singapore Law Gazette

Is Your Practising Certificate Valid?

The annual practising certificate (PC) renewal exercise will commence soon on 1 March 2024. In order to continue practising as an advocate and solicitor, you will need to apply for a PC for the practice year 2024/2025 (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025).

Your current PC will no longer be valid if you fail to apply for a PC for the new practice year 2024/2025. It is a criminal offence to practise law without a valid PC under section 33 of the Legal Profession Act 1966 (LPA).

Here are some pointers to help you to have a smooth PC renewal process:

1. Apply for your PC as soon as possible in early March 2024. A PC issued in the month of March 2024 will be dated 1 April 2024. Under section 25(5) of the LPA, a PC issued in April 2024 will be dated with the date of issue but shall be deemed to be in force from the first day of April. All applications are to be made through eLitigation or at the Service Bureau.
2. Ensure that you have taken out the necessary professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover before you make your application for a PC. You must also maintain in force such insurance for the entire period for which you had been granted a PC. With effect from 1st April 2024, Marsh (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Marsh) will take over from Lockton Companies (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Lockton) and handle our PII scheme. Applications for insurance cover must be made via Marsh’s online web portal (https://asia.marsh.com/lss-pi/sg/home.html), and may be made from 1 March 2024 onwards.
3. Only apply for a PC 24 hours after you have received Marsh’s e-mail confirming Evidence of Insurance. For any questions on the renewal of your PII, please direct them to Marsh at [email protected] or you may contact them at 6411 9020.
4. Ensure that you have an accountant’s report for that period which is to be submitted together with your application for a PC. This applies if you had practised as a sole proprietor, partner or director (including associate director or salaried partner) in the immediately preceding calendar year (or in a previous calendar year you last practised).
5. Make a pro bono declaration. You will have to declare in your application for PC if you have provided any pro bono services at any time in the immediately preceding practice year.
6. Apply for a waiver if you were required to, but did not, vote at the 2023 Annual Election of Council before you make your application for a PC. If you were a member in the Middle or Senior Category who was required to vote at the 2023 Annual Election of Council but was not in Singapore on election day, or have a good and sufficient reason for not voting, you will need to seek a waiver from the voting requirement from the Registrar, Supreme Court, which is subject to the Registrar’s approval. To apply for a waiver, please refer to the Singapore Court’s website (https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/legal-professionals/practising-certificates). Under section 50(2) of the LPA, there will be a penalty of $500 if you did not vote and have not been given a waiver from the voting requirement.¹A request for a waiver under section 50(2) of the LPA (‘waiver request’) is to be submitted for the Registrar’s consideration before the advocate and solicitor submits the application for a practising certificate. A waiver request submitted after the application for a PC has been submitted and after the penalty of $500 has been paid will not be considered.

Please note that it is your responsibility to check the filing status of the PC application on e-Litigation to ensure that the application has been processed by the Law Society and approved by the Supreme Court. Please check this before the practice year commences on 1 April 2024.

For more information on the process and requirements for PC applications, please visit the Law Society’s website at https://www.lawsociety.org.sg/for-lawyers/pc-application/. A flowchart summarizing the PC application process is reproduced below for easy reference.

Should there be any change to your personal particulars or practice particulars when you have in force a PC, you must notify the Registrar, Supreme Court, and the Council of the Law Society pursuant to section 27(3) of the LPA by filing a notice of change of particulars (NOC) via eLitigation. Information on how to file a NOC can be found in the Law Society’s eBlast that is sent to members regularly.