Inter-agency group to look into family justice reforms

An inter agency group is being set up to consider reforms when it comes to dealing with family justice. 

The group will made up of Supreme Court judges and representatives from the Law Ministry and Social and Family Development Ministry. 

Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the reforms should be aimed at reducing acrimony which is inherent in family disputes. 

He was speaking at the opening of this year's Legal Year. 

CJ Menon said family justice is just one of the areas that the Subordinates Court will look into this year. 

Another is opportunities for the legal profession outside of Singapore. 

This includes international arbitration 

CJ Menon says Judge of Appeal Justice VK Rajah together with Senior Minister of State for Law Indranee Rajah will study the viability of setting up the Singapore International Commercial Court. 

Also speaking at the ceremony was the new President of the Law Society Mr Lok Vi Ming. 

He says the number of local lawyers holding practising certificates for the first time exceeded four thousand in 2012. 

However between 2007 and 2012 the growth of foreign lawyer numbers has been faster. 

Mr Lok says this suggests that the profession is growing steadily in terms of numbers and that the number of foreign lawyers is expanding faster than that of locals. 

He says these trends are not likely to be reversed in the short term.

Two Senior Counsel were also appointed at this years ceremony. 

They are Mr Lionel Yee the second Solicitor General and Mr N Sreenivasan, a lawyer in private practice. 

This brings the number of senior counsel in Singapore to 40.