Law Society of Singapore Island refuses to disclose the number of lawyers!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A couple of years ago, it was reported in the Singapore press that the number of lawyers there with an island population of 4.5 million was no more than 3,500! Even with this small number, what was alarming was the number of lawyers there was shrinking with time, not increasing! In fact, the report said, 10 years ago there were more lawyers than what they had in 2007.

The number of 2500 now, guessing the shrinkage, is obviously inadequate for a country with a population of 4.5 million and claiming to be a financial hub! The principle reason is ( as any Singapore watcher will agree) the lack of human rights in the island; the erosion of the rule of law by Lee Kuan Yew, the dictator, interfering in the administration of justice and using it as a political tool to destroy his opponents.

Wanting to know what the number of lawyers in Singapore were now, I sent an Email to the Law society of Singapore. They have refused to answer. My guess, as anyone's guess would be, is this. The number of lawyers have shrunk even further and it would embarrass the Law Society to reveal the number. So they keep quite. Appended below is the exchange of Emails.

Communication 1, Gopalan Nair to Law Society: Article on Singapore lawyers
Friday, June 26, 2009 6:50 AM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
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To: shawn@lawsoc.org.sg

Hello,

I am the author of Singapore Dissident, a political blog on Singapore. I am writing an article on Singapore lawyers. Kindly let me know how many lawyers have practicing certificates at the time of writing in Singapore.

Thank you.

Gopalan Nair

Communication 2, Law Society to Gopalan Nair Re: Article on Singapore lawyers
Our Ref: LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Friday, June 26, 2009 7:40 AM
From: "Shawn Toh"
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To: "Gopalan Nair"
Cc: "communications"

Dear Mr Nair,

I refer to your email dated 26 June 2009 appended below.

Statistics for the number of lawyer holding practising certificates as at September 2008 is published on our website at www.lawsociety.org.sg > About Us > General Statistics.

The exercise for applications for practising certificates for Practice Year commencing 1 April 2009 has just ended a few weeks ago and the Society is currently in the process of collating and preparing the relevant statistics. Updated statistics will be uploaded on the Law Society website when available.

Regards
Shawn Toh

Senior Assistant Director
Communications & Membership Interests
The Law Society of Singapore
39 South Bridge Road S(058673)
Tel: 6530 0238 Fax: 6533 5700
email: shawn@lawsoc.org.sg
web site: www.lawsociety.org.sg
Supporting www.singaporelaw.sg

Communication 3, Gopalan Nair to Law Society: RE: Article on Singapore lawyers
Our Ref: LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Friday, June 26, 2009 5:07 PM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
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To: "Shawn Toh"

Hello Shawn Toh,

Thank you for your Email. However what you say is troubling. If the exercise for filing new practicing certificates ended on April 1, which is nearly 2 months since, are you still saying they are still trying to organize the figures? This is difficult to accept, especially since Singapore is always trying to show they work at lighting speed efficiency.

What appears from public discussion is that the lawyer population is not only shrinking, it has in fact got below the 2,000 mark! The perceived reason is political interference in the legal process and the weakening of the rule of law. I do not know if this figure of 2,000 is true, an amount totally insufficient for a country the population size and business nature of Singapore.

What I suspect is that this is indeed the case, and you are trying to conceal this fact to avoid embarrassment.

I would be grateful if you answer this in the interests of not only of the Singapore public but also any outsider who may want to have anything to do with your legal system or country.

To be fair to you, I will be publishing this correspondence and your reply or the absence of it in the Singapore Dissident, my blog.

Thank you very much.

Gopalan Nair

Communication 4, Law Society to Gopalan Nair: RE: Article on Singapore lawyers
(Our Ref: LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Monday, June 29, 2009 5:50 AM
From: "Shawn Toh"
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To: "Gopalan Nair"
Cc: "communications" Dear Mr Nair,

I refer to your further email of 27 June 2009 appended below.

The annual practising certificates renewal exercise ended on 30 April 2009 and not on 1 April 2009 as you have stated.

The Law Society only publishes the statistics once a year around the period of August/September every year together with its Annual Report. You may therefore wish to look out for the next update on our Law Society's website which is scheduled to be in September 2009.



Regards

Shawn Toh
Senior Assistant Director
Communications & Membership Interests

The Law Society of Singapore
39 South Bridge Road S(058673)
Tel: 6530 0238 Fax: 6533 5700
email: shawn@lawsoc.org.sg
web site: www.lawsociety.org.sg
Supporting www.singaporelaw.sg

Communication 5, Gopalan Nair to Law Society: RE: Article on Singapore lawyers
Our Ref: (LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Monday, June 29, 2009 6:59 AM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
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To: "Shawn Toh"
Hello Shawn Toh,

Thank you for your response, which I honestly did not expect. Your response is troubling. Am I taken to understand that the practicing certificate exercise ended on April 30, 2009. That your organization publishes the statistics once a year, that is in August/ September 2009. Therefore between the period April 30, 2009 to August/ September 2009, a period of at least 3 months, you or no one in your organization knows how many lawyers have practicing certificates! That you must wait until August/ September, a period of 3 months, before you or anyone else can know how many lawyers practice in Singapore! I understand, and I am sure you agree that Singapore does not have more than 3,000 lawyers or so, by the count last year! And all this difficulty that you have is just for this small number.

And I must go away and wait for August/ September 2009 to get this figure and in the meantime, my article on the declining legal profession in Singapore has to wait.

Am I am right in saying this? I understand Singapore is unique, and you are effectively proving it once again.

Will you surprise me again and respond to this? Thank you.

Gopalan Nair

Communication 6, Gopalan Nair to Law Society: RE: Article on Singapore lawyers
Our Ref: LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 8:49 PM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
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To: "Shawn Toh"

Please let me know if that is the end of the correspondence. I intend to write the blog on this now. Thanks

Communication 7, Law Society to Gopalan Nair: RE: Article on Singapore lawyers
Our Ref: LS/3/GEN.pq(06-70)/09-11/ST)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 12:53 AM
From: "Shawn Toh"
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To: "Gopalan Nair"
Cc: "communications" Dear Mr Nair,

Thank you for your email.

The Law Society has nothing further to add. The statistics on the Singapore’s legal profession will be updated on our website in September 2009 as scheduled.

Regards

Shawn Toh
Senior Assistant Director
Communications & Membership Interests

The Law Society of Singapore
39 South Bridge Road S(058673)
Tel: 6530 0238 Fax: 6533 5700
email: shawn@lawsoc.org.sg
web site: www.lawsociety.org.sg
Supporting www.singaporelaw.sg

From the above correspondence either the Law Society of Singapore does not know how many lawyers practice law there or the number is so low, they are embarrassed to tell you. You may decide which is true!

Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/

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