Latest news with #JuniorLawyersProfessionalCertificationProgramme
Singapore Law Watch
28-05-2025
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
Beyond training, Singapore's legal industry needs a culture shift to curb attrition: Opinion
Beyond training, Singapore's legal industry needs a culture shift to curb attrition: Opinion Source: Business Times Article Date: 28 May 2025 Author: Tessa Oh A post-call survey found that 60% of new lawyers are likely to move out of legal practice within the next five years. As high attrition rates among young lawyers raise concern, a new structured training initiative seeks to curb the outflow of talent, among various aims. The Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) aims to help young lawyers stay ahead of the artificial intelligence (AI) curve, while also strengthening basic legal skills. Launched on May 21, the programme targets lawyers with up to five years of post-qualification experience. Yet, as SAL chief executive Yeong Zee Kin told The Business Times in an interview, the JLP focuses on skills and knowledge acquisition, while many young lawyers cite the demanding nature of legal practice as reason for leaving the industry. Said Yeong: 'The JLP can address one aspect, which is training, and hopefully also a nurturing environment in the office that supports training... 'But it won't address the workplace pressures, because clients are in competitive global markets and (local law firms) need to compete with foreign law firms for the same kind of work.' Some in this cohort have expressed disappointment via social media. Their beef is that the programme focuses on technical skills, and not solutions to address such workplace pressures. Excessive workload, poor work-life balance and negative work culture were reasons cited by young lawyers for leaving legal practice, according to a survey of post-call lawyers this year. It found that 60 per cent of respondents were likely to move out of legal practice within the next five years, to pursue an in-house career, academia or employment with other legal service providers. Slightly more than a third of the new lawyers said they are likely to leave the legal profession altogether. The reasons for such departures are cultural factors which training cannot address. Disruption To be sure, there is no denying that generative AI will disrupt the legal industry, and lawyers must prepare for that. As Yeong explained, the widespread accessibility of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot means that clients can easily generate basic contracts and seek advice on legal strategies. A programme that informs lawyers of the developments and ethics of AI is thus necessary and important. Further, lawyers in smaller firms – which may have fewer resources for training – can also benefit from a structured programme that hones basic advocacy and drafting skills. One must also acknowledge that the legal industry is a challenging one. Singapore law firms face an increasingly competitive global market, and are up against international firms with significant resources. As a service industry, firms also face rising expectations from clients for better, faster and cheaper solutions. But training alone is not enough to incentivise young lawyers to stick it out in legal practice, if the more pressing push factors are not addressed. To meaningfully address attrition, the legal industry must make headway in addressing the cultural and environmental reasons pushing young lawyers away. In the long run, law firms will not be able to compete if they lack a healthy pool of new talent to refresh their ranks. It is thus in their interest to address these issues, as a dwindling workforce will hit them hardest. For instance, young lawyers have called for better protection against bullying and exploitation. Hence, it is a good start to see the SAL convening a legal profession symposium in July to discuss some of these issues. Spearheading change Still, to be fair to the SAL, as a promotion and development agency, it cannot prescribe how law firms develop and mentor their associates. It is for the senior lawyers to lead the change in the culture at their firms. As Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said at the JLP opening conference, any solution to address the sustainability of legal practice is unlikely to be effective unless the mindsets of both young and older lawyers change. On one hand, young lawyers must appreciate that a legal career is demanding and requires long-term commitment. Meanwhile, senior lawyers 'have a duty and a responsibility to impart their knowledge and experience to their juniors'. The Chief Justice added: 'Indeed, much of a young lawyer's development comes through mentors and seniors who maintain a personal interest in their welfare, and who invest the time and the effort to guide and support them in their work.' In this regard, in addition to catering programmes for young associates, there can be initiatives to engage older lawyers on these issues and on how to cultivate better workplace practices. After all, if the legal fraternity is serious about keeping young lawyers from leaving the profession, then it is key for the law firms and their leaders to lead the cultural change. Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Singapore Law Watch
22-05-2025
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
New training programme launched for young lawyers to stay ahead of AI curve, strengthen basic advocacy and drafting skills
New training programme launched for young lawyers to stay ahead of AI curve, strengthen basic advocacy and drafting skills Source: Business Times Article Date: 22 May 2025 Author: Tessa Oh The Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) will bring structure to what was previously left to chance, says Singapore Academy of Law CEO Yeong Zee Kin. In response to technological disruptions in the legal sector, a new training programme will equip young lawyers with skills and knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI), as well as strengthen proficiency in basic advocacy and drafting skills. Set up by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) offers structured training for young lawyers in both disputes and corporate practice areas. Participants, for instance, can take courses on the ethics of generative AI, prompt engineering for lawyers and cross-boarder contract drafting, among others. The programme was launched on Wednesday (May 21), with an opening conference held at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. It is open to lawyers with up to five years of post-qualification experience. In addition to the mandatory opening conference and masterclass, participants are required to complete 11 more modules within two years in order to obtain certification. To earn certification in either the disputes or corporate track, lawyers are required to complete at least four modules that are specific to their chosen area of specialisation. Most of the disputes modules will be led by current or former members of the judiciary as trainers or guest speakers. In his opening address, SAL chief executive Yeong Zee Kin said the JLP will 'bring structure to what was previously left to chance', ensuring that lawyers learn fundamental legal skills in a holistic way. Participating in this programme is voluntary but recommended. Lawyers can use SkillsFuture to offset fees, while some law firms have offered to sponsor their associates. Disruptive shifts The JLP chiefly seeks to address the disruptive impact of generative AI on the legal sector, Yeong told The Business Times in an interview before the launch. The widespread accessibility of generative AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT has made it possible for anyone to generate simple contracts, or even seek advice on litigation strategy – even without formal legal training, noted Yeong. 'Because all these tools are coming on stream and clients have access to them, it means that clients' expectations when they come to see a lawyer is going to be higher,' he added. In this environment, lawyers need to move beyond basic information gathering to deliver greater value to their clients. The JLP thus aims to plug this gap, by helping young lawyers keep abreast of AI advancements and strengthening their proficiency in basic legal skills. Yeong views the programme as a bridge between the Bar exams and the specialist accreditation exams that senior lawyers take when seeking to specialise in a particular field. Lawyers are required to take modules each year to fulfil continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, but these courses are usually ad hoc in nature, he said. The JLP, on the other hand, provides a more 'structured way for some of these very fundamental skills and very crucial domain knowledge' for young lawyers. And since the programme is voluntary, Yeong hopes it attracts serious participants. 'If you want to just take enough courses to fill your CPD requirements, there are a lot of free and cheap courses,' he said. 'This course is not for lawyers with that kind of mentality… it is meant for those who want to learn.' Addressing attrition While the JLP reduces attrition among young lawyers by focusing on career support, Yeong recognised that it does not resolve the perennial issue of the high work demands and long hours within the legal profession. To this, he said SAL has other plans in the works, such as the legal profession symposium in July. 'That's intended to address workplace issues, (such as) the changing expectations between different generations of lawyers, the interactions between juniors and seniors,' he said. Workplace pressures could also be an obstacle for young lawyers, who have to juggle their personal development with tight work deadlines, to take up training courses. Acknowledging this, Yeong said it would not be feasible to require all law firms to allow their associates time off to attend the programme. What SAL has done is to get law firms to sign a training pledge to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the JLP and other training initiatives. Fifty-two legal organisations have signed this pledge. SAL will work with the firms to ensure that they develop good practices over time, said Yeong. It will also monitor the programme's sign-up rates to see if its 'message is not getting through', he added. More than half of the 80 slots for the programme have been taken up thus far. 'Law is a knowledge-based profession, so the acquisition of knowledge will never end, because things change, business models change… new areas of law will come out,' said Yeong. 'We need to continue sharpening our skills and learning new things.' Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Singapore Law Watch
22-05-2025
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
New Law Academy programme will help young lawyers with ethical GenAI use, difficult clients
New Law Academy programme will help young lawyers with ethical GenAI use, difficult clients Source: Straits Times Article Date: 22 May 2025 Author: Samuel Devaraj The Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) will address key challenges facing the legal industry, including high attrition rates and limited practical training, as well as the growing impact of GenAI on legal work. A new programme launched by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) on May 21 is aimed at supporting young lawyers in areas such as the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and dealing with difficult clients. SAL said in a press release that the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme will address key challenges facing the legal industry, including high attrition rates and limited practical training, as well as the growing impact of GenAI on legal work. Open to lawyers with under five years of post-qualification experience, the programme offers practical training in disputes and corporate practice, imparts management skills and reinforces principles of professional ethics. Its opening conference, which is compulsory for participants to attend, was held at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay hotel on May 21. Speaking at the event, SAL's chief executive Yeong Zee Kin said the wave of technological disruption, in particular GenAI, has 'smashed into the shores of legal practice'. He said AI will automate many entry-level legal tasks, affecting the learning opportunities for young lawyers. The clients also expect more from lawyers, since online tools are available that can generate contracts and produce litigation strategies that look very sound and sound very credible. Mr Yeong said: 'The profession can no longer afford to wait four to eight years for lawyers to 'grow into' their roles. '(The Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme) is our first step in answering and meeting these tectonic shifts. Developed with support from the Institute for Adult Learning, it introduces new pedagogies to accelerate the development of legal insight, strategic thinking and judgment. 'We want our junior lawyers to take flight – and (the new programme) provides that shorter runway that they need.' For example, a programme module participants can select helps them to prepare for, deal with, and assist in civil trial proceedings. Another module covers cross-examining witnesses in such court proceedings. The module on legal innovation focuses on the application of legal tech tools and GenAI in practice, while the one on client management covers interviewing clients and dealing with the difficult ones. Other modules include those on understanding financial statements and cross-border contract drafting and negotiation. SAL said course participants may be self-funded or sponsored by law firms. It is also working with SkillsFuture Singapore to secure funding of up to 70 per cent of costs for eligible individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. At the opening conference, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon highlighted the changing nature of legal work and the more challenging environment in which lawyers operate. He also cited a survey conducted at the 2025 admission ceremony for lawyers, in which around 60 per cent of the respondents indicated that they were likely to move out of legal practice within the next five years to pursue an in-house career, employment in academia or employment with other legal service providers. A third of the respondents had also indicated that they were likely to leave the legal profession altogether in that time, he noted. Chief Justice Menon said the most commonly cited reasons were excessive workload or poor work-life balance, a higher salary or compensation package elsewhere, the impact work had on their mental well-being, a lack of flexibility in their working arrangements and poor workplace culture. Noting that he had on previous occasions explained why such findings ought to be of significant concern, he added: 'I have also suggested how we might go about addressing this challenge, such as by ensuring that law firms develop concrete policies to implement sustainable workplace practices, and by communicating and instilling the values foundational to the practice of law.' Mr Shashi Nathan, a joint managing partner at Withers KhattarWong, told The Straits Times that the new programme can help young lawyers develop practical, transferable skills that are essential for long-term success in the profession. 'Structured exposure to topics such as client handling, legal project management and ethical judgment helps junior lawyers build confidence and develop a more holistic understanding of their role,' he said. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
New Law Academy programme will help young lawyers with ethical gen AI use, difficult clients
A fireside chat with Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon (right), moderated by Singapore Academy of Law Chief Executive Yeong Zee Kin (left) at the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme Opening Conference on May 21. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO New Law Academy programme will help young lawyers with ethical gen AI use, difficult clients SINGAPORE – A new programme launched by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) on May 21 aims to support young lawyers in areas such as the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) and dealing with difficult clients. SAL said in a press release that the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme will address key challenges facing the legal industry, including high attrition rates and limited practical training, as well as the growing impact of gen AI on legal work. Open to lawyers with under five years of post-qualification experience, the programme offers practical training in disputes and corporate practice, imparts management skills and reinforces principles of professional ethics. Its opening conference, which is compulsory for participants to attend, was held at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay hotel on May 21. Speaking at the event, SAL's chief executive Yeong Zee Kin said the wave of technological disruption, particular gen AI, has 'smashed into the shores of legal practice'. He said AI will automate many entry-level legal tasks, affecting the learning opportunities for young lawyers. The clients also expect more from lawyers, since online tools are available that can generate contracts and produce litigation strategies that look very sound and sound very credible. He said: 'The profession can no longer afford to wait four to eight years for lawyers to 'grow into' their roles. '(The Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme) is our first step in answering and meeting these tectonic shifts. Developed with support from the Institute for Adult Learning, it introduces new pedagogies to accelerate the development of legal insight, strategic thinking and judgment. 'We want our junior lawyers to take flight – and (the new programme) provides that shorter runway that they need.' For example, a programme module participants can select helps them to prepare for, deal with, and assist in civil trial proceedings. Another module covers cross-examining witnesses in such court proceedings. The module on legal innovation focuses on the application of legal tech tools and gen AI in practice, while the one on client management covers interviewing clients and dealing with the difficult ones. Other modules include understanding financial statements and cross-border contract drafting and negotiation. SAL said course participants may be self-funded or sponsored by law firms. It is also working with SkillsFuture Singapore to secure funding of up to 70 per cent for eligible individuals and small- and medium-sized enterprises. At the opening conference, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon highlighted the changing nature of legal work and the more challenging environment in which lawyers operate. He also cited a survey conducted at the 2025 admission ceremony for lawyers, in which around 60 per cent of the respondents indicated that they were likely to move out of legal practice within the next five years to pursue an in-house career, employment in academia or employment with other legal service providers. A third of the respondents had also indicated that they were likely to leave the legal profession altogether in that time, he noted. Chief Justice Menon said the most commonly cited reasons were excessive workload or poor work-life balance, a higher salary or compensation package elsewhere, the impact work had on their mental well-being, a lack of flexibility in their working arrangements or poor workplace culture. Noting that he had on previous occasions explained why such findings ought to be of significant concern, he added: 'I have also suggested how we might go about addressing this challenge, such as by ensuring that law firms develop concrete policies to implement sustainable workplace practices, and by communicating and instilling the values foundational to the practice of law.' Mr Shashi Nathan, a joint managing partner at Withers KhattarWong, told The Straits Times that the new programme can help young lawyers develop practical, transferable skills that are essential for long-term success in the profession. 'Structured exposure to topics such as client handling, legal project management and ethical judgment helps junior lawyers build confidence and develop a more holistic understanding of their role,' he said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Business Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
New training programme launched for young lawyers to stay ahead of AI curve, strengthen basic advocacy and drafting skills
[SINGAPORE] In response to technological disruptions in the legal sector, a new training programme will equip young lawyers with skills and knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI), as well as strengthen proficiency in basic advocacy and drafting skills. Set up by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) offers structured training for young lawyers in both disputes and corporate practice areas. Participants, for instance, can take courses on the ethics of generative AI, prompt engineering for lawyers and cross-boarder contract drafting, among others. The programme was launched on Wednesday (May 21), with an opening conference held at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. It is open to lawyers with up to five years of post-qualification experience. In addition to the mandatory opening conference and masterclass, participants are required to complete 11 more modules within two years in order to obtain certification. To earn certification in either the disputes or corporate track, lawyers are required to complete at least four modules that are specific to their chosen area of specialisation. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Most of the disputes modules will be led by current or former members of the judiciary as trainers or guest speakers. In his opening address, SAL chief executive Yeong Zee Kin said the JLP will 'bring structure to what was previously left to chance', ensuring that lawyers learn fundamental legal skills in a holistic way. Participating in this programme is voluntary but recommended. Lawyers can use SkillsFuture to offset fees, while some law firms have offered to sponsor their associates. Disruptive shifts The JLP chiefly seeks to address the disruptive impact of generative AI on the legal sector, Yeong told The Business Times in an interview before the launch. The widespread accessibility of generative AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT has made it possible for anyone to generate simple contracts, or even seek advice on litigation strategy – even without formal legal training, noted Yeong. 'Because all these tools are coming on stream and clients have access to them, it means that clients' expectations when they come to see a lawyer is going to be higher,' he added. In this environment, lawyers need to move beyond basic information gathering to deliver greater value to their clients. The JLP thus aims to plug this gap, by helping young lawyers keep abreast of AI advancements and strengthening their proficiency in basic legal skills. Yeong views the programme as a bridge between the Bar exams and the specialist accreditation exams that senior lawyers take when seeking to specialise in a particular field. Lawyers are required to take modules each year to fulfil continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, but these courses are usually ad hoc in nature, he said. The JLP, on the other hand, provides a more 'structured way for some of these very fundamental skills and very crucial domain knowledge' for young lawyers. And since the programme is voluntary, Yeong hopes it attracts serious participants. 'If you want to just take enough courses to fill your CPD requirements, there are a lot of free and cheap courses,' he said. 'This course is not for lawyers with that kind of mentality… it is meant for those who want to learn.' Addressing attrition While the JLP reduces attrition among young lawyers by focusing on career support, Yeong recognised that it does not resolve the perennial issue of the high work demands and long hours within the legal profession. To this, he said SAL has other plans in the works, such as the legal profession symposium in July. 'That's intended to address workplace issues, (such as) the changing expectations between different generations of lawyers, the interactions between juniors and seniors,' he said. Workplace pressures could also be an obstacle for young lawyers, who have to juggle their personal development with tight work deadlines, to take up training courses. Acknowledging this, Yeong said it would not be feasible to require all law firms to allow their associates time off to attend the programme. What SAL has done is to get law firms to sign a training pledge to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the JLP and other training initiatives. Fifty-two legal organisations have signed this pledge. SAL will work with the firms to ensure that they develop good practices over time, said Yeong. It will also monitor the programme's sign-up rates to see if its 'message is not getting through', he added. More than half of the 80 slots for the programme have been taken up thus far. 'Law is a knowledge-based profession, so the acquisition of knowledge will never end, because things change, business models change… new areas of law will come out,' said Yeong. 'We need to continue sharpening our skills and learning new things.'
