Approved universities
Qualifications for admission
Individuals who wish to be admitted to the Singapore Bar must:
(i) Meet all the requirements of being a "qualified person" as defined in the Legal Profession Act read together with the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules (see 'Am I a Qualified Person?'); and
(ii) Fulfil the other admission requirements set out in Sections 12 and 13 of the Legal Profession Act read together with the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011 (see 'What Admission Requirements Must I Fulfil?').
Approved university requirement
Under the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, the “qualified person” requirements generally include having read an approved law degree as a “full-time internal candidate” for at least 3 academic years at an approved university (i.e. a university that is listed in the First, Third, Fourth or Fifth Schedules to the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules.
Therefore individuals who did not read their law degree at one of the approved universities are generally not eligible for admission to the Singapore Bar.
Does the requirement apply to me?
There are, however, some exceptions to the general rule. If you fall into one of the general categories below, please click on the link to see the corresponding section of the guide 'Am I a Qualified Person?' which lists the other “qualified person” requirements you must fulfil to be eligible for admission to the Singapore Bar.
- I qualified to practise in the UK before 1st May 1993
- I passed or was admitted as a candidate for the Common Professional Examination in the UK before 1st May 1993
- I was conferred my UK law degree before 1st May 1993
- I was admitted as a candidate for my UK law degree before 1st May 1993
- I commenced my course of study before 1st January 1994 at a university listed in the Second Schedule to the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules
Note: Under Rule 17(1) of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, the Qualified Person as described above shall make his application under section 12(2) of the Legal Profession Act to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court on or before 2nd May 2012 (Rule 17(2)).
If you did not graduate from an approved university and you do not fall into any of the general categories above, or if you are unable to meet one or more of the other “qualified person” requirements for the relevant category, you are not a “qualified person” and are therefore not eligible for admission to the Singapore Bar. You may wish to consider alternatives for working in the legal field in Singapore.
For the list of approved universities, click here.