Legal Profession Act 1966 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 9A · Law Practice Entities
131. Licensing of law firms
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2014.
A solicitor who wishes to practise on his or her own account, or to have a partnership (not being a limited liability partnership) licensed as a law firm, must apply to the Director of Legal Services for —
solicitor
“advocate and solicitor”, “advocate” and “solicitor” mean an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court;
the issue of a law firm licence to his or her practice or the partnership (as the case may be); and
the approval of the name or proposed name of his or her practice or the partnership (as the case may be).
An application under subsection (1) must be made in accordance with rules made under section 136.
Subject to the provisions of this Division, the Director of Legal Services may, on receiving an application under subsection (1), issue a law firm licence to the solicitor’s practice or the partnership (as the case may be) if the practice or the partnership (as the case may be) satisfies such requirements as may be prescribed.
Director of Legal Services
“Director of Legal Services” means the Director of Legal Services appointed under section 2A(1);
Every law firm licence issued under subsection (3) is subject to —
law firm
“law firm” means a partnership, or a practice of a solicitor who practises on his or her own account, which is licensed as a law firm under section 131;
such conditions as may be prescribed; and
such conditions as the Director of Legal Services may think fit to impose in any particular case.
The Director of Legal Services must not issue a law firm licence to a solicitor’s practice or a partnership before the practice or the partnership (as the case may be) is registered under the Business Registration Act (Cap. 32, 2004 Revised Edition) or the Business Names Registration Act 2014 (whichever is in force).
A law firm must pay to the Director of Legal Services such licence fee at such times and in such manner as may be prescribed.
Every practice of a solicitor who practises on his or her own account, and every firm of solicitors, which exists immediately before 18 November 2015, is deemed to be licensed under this section, subject to the conditions mentioned in subsection (4)(a) and any conditions that the Director of Legal Services may think fit to impose in any particular case, with effect from that date.
The Society may transfer to the Director of Legal Services the particulars of any practice or firm referred to in subsection (7), and the Director of Legal Services may, upon receiving those particulars, issue a law firm licence to that practice or firm, without any action on the part of that practice or firm.
Society
“Society” means the Law Society of Singapore established under section 37;