Singapore legislation
Section 4
Section 4
Panels of solicitors
(1)
The Director must prepare and maintain panels of solicitors willing —
to investigate, report and give an opinion upon applications for the grant of legal aid under this Act or Part 4 of the International Child Abduction Act 2010;
to act for persons receiving legal aid under this Act or Part 4 of the International Child Abduction Act 2010; and
to give legal advice under the provisions of this Act or Part 4 of the International Child Abduction Act 2010,and there may be separate panels for different purposes and for different courts.
(2)
The Director may appoint a solicitor to a panel mentioned in subsection (1) for a term of 3 years, or such longer or shorter period as the Director may specify in any particular case, beginning on such date as the Director may specify in the solicitor’s letter of appointment.
(3)
Any solicitor is entitled to have his or her name on the panels or any of them unless there is good reason for excluding or removing him or her on any of the grounds under subsection (4).
(4)
The Director may, at any time, exclude or remove any solicitor from any panel —
if the solicitor has ceased to be a practising solicitor for any reason;
if the solicitor has requested that the Director remove the solicitor from the panel;
if the solicitor has shown from his or her conduct when assigned to act for persons receiving legal aid or from his or her professional conduct generally that the solicitor is not a suitable person to remain on the panel; or
if, in the opinion of the Director —
the solicitor is not a suitable person to be or to remain on the panel for any other reason; or
it is necessary or expedient to exclude or remove the solicitor’s name from the panel for any other reason.
(5)
Where a solicitor is aggrieved by any decision excluding or removing the solicitor (whether permanently or temporarily) from the panels or any of them, the solicitor may appeal against the decision to the General Division of the High Court and the General Division of the High Court (whose decision is final) may confirm or quash the decision appealed against or may substitute such decision as the General Division of the High Court thinks fit.
(6)
A solicitor has the duty to disclose to the Director any information or give any opinion which may enable the Director to perform the Director’s functions under this Act, including such information or opinion which may reasonably be taken into account by the Director or the board referred to in section 8 in determining whether to refuse or cancel legal aid to a person or an aided person, and the solicitor is not precluded from so doing by reason of any privilege arising out of the relationship between solicitor and client.
(7)
Subject to any regulations made under this Act, the Director must pay to a solicitor investigating and reporting, or giving an opinion, upon applications for the grant of legal aid or acting for persons receiving legal aid or giving legal advice under the provisions of this Act or Part 4 of the International Child Abduction Act 2010 such fees as may be agreed between the Director and the solicitor.