Singapore Academy of Law launches S$1.9m package to help members

THE Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) on Thursday launched a S$1.9 million package to help some 9,000 of its members cope with the impact of Covid-19, it said in a statement.

Eligible members - those who have no outstanding fees for more than 12 months - will receive a one-time credit of S$150 on May 9, which can be used to purchase SAL legal publications, as well as learning and development programmes.

Existing subscribers of legal research portal LawNet will have two months of their basic subscription fees waived. This will be reflected in their June and July invoices.

In addition, up to 40 small law firms, which are Singapore firms with no more than five lawyers, can apply for a free business process re-engineering package to streamline their work practices. This typically costs S$5,000.

SAL also has a dedicated Covid-19 microsite which tracks news about the virus' impact on the legal industry, as well as digital resources such as guides to lawyering from home, podcasts on innovation and articles on online advocacy.

These measures make up the first relief package launched by the academy, which serves as an umbrella organisation for Singapore's legal profession.

In a video address to its members, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, the president of SAL, said: "The academy is deeply aware of the daunting challenges faced by our members. It is unlikely that we will be able to return to our usual way of doing business for some time. It is evident that we are facing a range of challenges, and the academy wants you to know that we stand in solidarity with you as we face this unprecedented situation together."

In a survey conducted in April with about 400 practitioners and in-house counsel, SAL found that 83 per cent of practitioners reported a decrease in new cases and revenue.

However, some 75 per cent of in-house counsel saw an increase in workload, in areas such as crisis management, re-negotiation of contracts and employment issues.

Considering these challenges, 65 per cent of all respondents called for learning and development opportunities, as well as tools and resources relevant to their work, while 34 per cent expressed a need for business process re-engineering to save costs.

These findings, said SAL, guided the academy to construct measures to help individuals meet their professional development needs and aid law firms to save costs and streamline their work processes.

Serene Wee, chief executive of SAL, said: "We have served the profession through other crises before; from the Asian financial crisis of the late-1990s to the Sars outbreak of 2003.

"But never has the legal profession faced such a challenging operating environment. We hope that this package will be of some relief and will allow the profession to emerge stronger and ready for the future."

Encouraging members to stay united and resilient, Chief Justice Menon said: "This resilience requires us to summon a renewed spirit of service, honour, and solidarity, to look out for each other as we journey through these challenging times together."