Written Answer by Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, to Parliamentary Question on the number of exemptions granted to external degree holders

28 FEB 2012

28 Feb 2012 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses

Mr Pritam Singh, Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC

Question
To ask the Minister for Law on a yearly basis from 1994 onwards, how many exemptions have been granted by the Ministry to external law degree holders who wish to be exempted from the policy of their degrees not being recognised for admission to the Singapore Bar.

Written Answer

  1. To be qualified to be admitted to the Bar in Singapore, an applicant is required to have obtained a recognised law degree. External law degrees are not recognised in this context. External law degree graduates may, however, receive exemptions in a limited number of cases. In exercising such discretion, the Minister for Law takes into account factors such as how well candidates have performed academically, as well as whether they have substantial experience in the legal sector.

  2. Since 1994, 11 exemptions have been granted to external degree holders. 1 was granted in 2009, 3 in 2010, and 7 in 2011.

Last updated on 25 Nov 2012