Criminal or Commercial?

As part of MinLaw's media alert:

TODAY (p 10) published a commentary on how Singapore should be seeking “a new generation of David Marshalls” and encouraging young legal eagles to take on criminal law so that they would be better equipped for international challenges. The commentary noted AG’s comments at the Opening of the Legal year on how the dwindling number of criminal lawyers was “worrying”, as well as CJ’s comments on the salary disparity being one of the main reasons lawyers picked commercial over criminal law practice. It noted that the growth in international regulation in the wake of the global financial crisis had blurred the line between criminal and commercial practice and expertise, and that Singaporean lawyers could no longer content themselves with being masters of civil litigation and dispute resolution alone, but must also hone their criminal practice skills as well. TODAY observed that criminal practice need not only be the sole province of our local courts, but could take on an international dimension, with Singapore lawyers joining the international criminal law directorate set up within AGC. It added that increasingly, Singapore lawyers were joining international investigative and enforcement agencies such as Interpol. It also noted that the criminal justice process in Singapore had received a “significantly refreshed lift” with the recent revisions to the Criminal Procedure Code, and that the new disclosure and discovery rules would set new ground rules for the conduct of criminal trials in Singapore. TODAY called for young lawyers to be encouraged from an early stage of their training to take on the rigours of both criminal and commercial work, while emphasis must be placed by Parliament and the courts on the compassionate practice of law, promoting meaningful pro bono legal services, and providing quality legal aid to crime victims and defendants of limited means. It also proposed that the Criminal Bar, together with AGC, should be encouraged to explore cross-border opportunities for growth for young lawyers interested in criminal law, so that our lawyers could provide world-class legal services in new areas of criminal practice.

An encouraging note to return home after my studies in the UK. Criminal Law has always been an area that I'm fairly intrigued by but on the other hand, also an area where I feel one might not have much potential to thrive and grow, especially in an environment like Singapore (where the line between black and white is pretty stringent and leaves little room for manoeuvre.) Perhaps changes are underway.