Singapore Legal Portal

Singapore Legal System

Singapore is a republic with a parliamentary system of Government. Her legal system is derived from the British and follows the English common law tradition.

 

 

The Constitution

The Constitution is the nation’s supreme law. It entrenches basic freedoms of the individual and provides for the organs of state.  Any legislation contrary to the Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.

 

 

The Legislature

The Parliament  is unicameral and together with the President is known as the Legislature.

 

The Parliament is modelled after the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy where Members of Parliament are voted in at regular General Elections.

 

The functions of Parliament include making laws, controlling the state's finances and taking up a critical/inquisitorial role to check on the actions of the governing party and the ministries.

 

 

The Executive

The Executive includes the President, the Cabinet and the Attorney-General.

 

The head of the Executive is the President. The President is elected by the people and is empowered to veto government budgets and appointments to public office. The President must, however, consult the Council of Presidential Advisers before he takes a decision on some of these matters.

 

The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister and is responsible for all government policies and the day-to-day administration of the affairs of state and is responsible collectively to Parliament.

 

The Attorney-General is the principal legal advisor to the Government and has the power and discretion to prosecute offenders.

 

 

The Judiciary

The Judiciary consists of the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. The head of the Judiciary is the Chief Justice.

 

The highest court is the Court of Appeal which hears both civil and criminal appeals from the High Court and the Subordinate Courts.

 

The Subordinate Courts consists of the District Courts, Magistrates’ Courts, Juvenile Courts, Family Courts, Coroners Courts and the Small Claims Tribunal.

 

The Syariah Court hears actions and proceedings in which all the parties are Muslims or where the parties were married under the provisions of Muslim law.

 

A special Constitutional Tribunal, consisting of not less than 3 Judges of the Supreme Court, hears questions referred to by the President on the effect of any provision of the Constitution.

 

 

The Legal Profession

The legal profession in Singapore is 'fused' - a lawyer may act as both an Advocate (barrister) as well as a Solicitor.

 

Lawyers may practise as sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited partnerships (LLP) or  law corporations (LLC).  There can also be Joint Law Ventures and Formal Law Alliances between foreign and local practices. Foreign practices may be registered as Foreign Law Practices, Representative Offices or Qualifying Foreign Law Practices.

 

The Law Society of Singapore is the representative body for lawyers in Singapore. The Singapore Academy of Law is a statutory body whose membership comprises the Bench, the Bar, corporate counsel and faculty members of the local law schools.

 

 

Legal Education

The Singapore Institute of Legal Education was set up to co-ordinate and oversee legal training; and has oversight of  the Singapore Bar Examinations and the Foreign Practitioner Examinations.

 

Law degrees are offered by the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the School of Law of Singapore Management University.

 

NYU@NUS allows students to earn two LL.M. degrees from New York University School of Law and NUS and to qualify to sit the New York Bar exam.

 

The Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma in Law & Management Course equips students with legal and management knowledge and skills to function as paralegal professionals.