Overseas law graduates who earn a second-lower honours degree will continue to be allowed to practise in Singapore without having to cross extra hurdles, despite a predicted glut of lawyers here.
But a review of which foreign universities should be recognised is being finalised, and the findings are expected to be released soon.
Law Minister K. Shanmugam recently warned of an oversupply of lawyers in the next three years, and attributed this to the sharp rise in Singaporeans going abroad, mainly to Britain, to pursue law.
In Britain, the number of Singapore law students more than doubled from 510 in 2010 to 1,142 last year. In 2009, a rule was relaxed to allow foreign-trained lawyers with second-lower honours to take the Bar exam without extra years of legal work experience. Previously, they needed two years.
The rising number of law graduates from abroad has made it harder for them to get a six-month practice training contract - a requirement for entry to the Bar. The contract allows them to get on-the-job training at a law firm.
Every year, there are around 500 contracts on offer. Most go to the 400 or so local law graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University, leaving the rest for their foreign-educated peers.
NUS law dean Simon Chesterman told The Straits Times that demand for a law degree is high here. He said the faculty received 4,000 applicants for 250 places this year.
"The numbers going overseas cannot be easily controlled as more parents and students can afford it," he said. "But that doesn't guarantee you a job in the profession. Students have to manage their expectations, unless they have a first-class honours degree from Oxford or Cambridge."
