Singapore legislation

Section 157

of Legal Profession Act 1966

Section 157

Professional misconduct

Amended by40/201440/201440/201440/201440/2014

(1)

An act or omission of a regulated legal practitioner may constitute unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct even though it is only done or occurs while the regulated legal practitioner provides legal services through a law corporation.

Amended by40/2014

(2)

Where the business of a law corporation is conducted in a manner unbefitting an honourable profession, and such conduct cannot be attributed to the act or omission of any particular individual (being a solicitor, regulated foreign lawyer or regulated non‑practitioner) whose identity is known —

(a)

each director of the law corporation who is a solicitor shall be liable (or, if there are 2 or more such directors, shall be jointly liable with every other such director) to such disciplinary proceedings under this Act as are applicable to a solicitor;

(b)

each director of the law corporation who is a regulated foreign lawyer shall be liable (or, if there are 2 or more such directors, shall be jointly liable with every other such director) to such disciplinary proceedings under this Act as are applicable to a regulated foreign lawyer; and

(c)

each director of the law corporation who is a regulated non‑practitioner shall be liable (or, if there are 2 or more such directors, shall be jointly liable with every other such director) to such disciplinary proceedings under this Act as are applicable to a regulated non‑practitioner.

Amended by40/2014

(3)

Except with the prior approval of the Director of Legal Services or in circumstances prescribed in any rules made under section 166, a director or employee of a law corporation who is a solicitor (whether or not he or she has in force a practising certificate) must not —

(a)

hold shares in any other law corporation;

(b)

be a director, consultant or employee of any other law corporation;

(c)

be a partner, consultant or employee of any law firm or limited liability law partnership; or

(d)

practise as a solicitor on his or her own account.

Amended by40/2014

(4)

Subsection (3) does not prevent a locum solicitor engaged by a law corporation from concurrently practising as a locum solicitor in another law corporation or any law firm or limited liability law partnership.

Amended by40/2014

(5)

Except with the prior approval of the Director of Legal Services or in circumstances prescribed in any rules made under section 166 —

(a)

a director or employee of a law corporation who is a regulated foreign lawyer must not —

(i)

hold shares in any other law corporation;

(ii)

be a director, consultant or employee of any other law corporation; or

(iii)

be a partner, consultant or employee of any law firm or limited liability law partnership; and

(b)

a director or employee of a law corporation who is a regulated non‑practitioner must not —

(i)

hold shares in any other law corporation;

(ii)

be a director or employee of any other law corporation; or

(iii)

be a partner or employee of any law firm or limited liability law partnership.

Amended by40/2014