More digital innovations to support legal profession; 3 new Senior Counsel appointed

AN ONLINE dispute resolution service is expected to be launched by the Singapore Mediation Centre towards the end of this quarter, which can reduce the cost of resolving lower value cases.

The initiative is among innovations that would roll out in the coming year, which will support the legal profession and others seeking to access legal resources and tools, said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on Monday (Jan 10) at the opening of the Legal Year 2022.

The online dispute resolution service will be accessible to the public and promises to reduce the cost of resolving lower value cases, such as consumer disputes by using technology and automation, CJ Menon added.

Another initiative is a new Data and Digital Economy specialist accreditation scheme for lawyers, which is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of this year.

CJ Menon said: "This will expand the opportunities for lawyers to advance their professional competence and standing and provide users of such services with some indication of special experience."

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) noted that this accreditation track will benefit lawyers and in-house counsel who deal heavily with data - both its use and regulation - as well as technologies that power the digital economy including artificial intelligence, blockchain and more generally distributed ledger technology, 5G network, data analytics and cybersecurity.

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The new scheme joins 2 existing schemes for specialist accreditation, in building and construction, and shipping and maritime law. To date, 68 lawyers in Singapore hold accreditation: 32 in building and construction and 36 in maritime and shipping.

Other innovations that would be coming this year include the launch of the new LawNet, which will serve as a single digital hub to access all of SAL's content and services.

In addition to using LawNet to conduct legal research on content such as case law, the material on the platform will be expanded to include Asian content. The Asian content currently covers 5 Asean jurisdictions (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia), with plans to expand this to China and India in 3 years.

Users will also be able to subscribe to a digital library on the platform, which holds books under the Law Practice Series, Law Practice Casebook Series and Monograph Series.

"These are important aspects of the SAL's efforts to support the profession in its digital transformation journey," CJ Menon said. "But more can and should be done to maximise the potential for the SAL to support us as we venture into the future."

In the coming year, SAL will establish a wholly-owned subsidiary, which will be led by a separate board that is equipped to oversee and steer the development of "bold and innovative products and services that more fully harness technologies in knowledge management and legal analytics", CJ Menon said.

During the event on Monday, which was held virtually for the second year running, CJ Menon also announced the appointment of 3 new Senior Counsel.

The elite appointment is given to those who possess outstanding ability as advocates, extensive knowledge of the law and the highest professional standing.

The individuals appointed are Tan Puay Boon, chair of the competition appeal board at the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Marina Chin, joint managing partner and co-head of dispute resolution at Tan Kok Quan Partnership; and Koh Swee Yen, partner, commercial and corporate disputes and international arbitration practices at WongPartnership.

Tan - who completed a 3-year term as a Judicial Commissioner on the Supreme Court Bench last March - was appointed as Senior Counsel (honoris causa), which recognises outstanding contribution to the development of the law. Such appointments are not an annual practice, but are made on very rare occasions, and Tan is only the fifth such appointment to date.

The 3 newly appointed Senior Counsel bring the total number recognised with the honour to 94, out of 6,333 legal practitioners.