Legal Profession Act 1966 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 5 · The Law Society of Singapore
41. Non-practitioner members
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2023. 4 amendments in all.
Subject to subsections (3) and (4), any of the following persons who applies for membership of the Society in the prescribed manner is to be admitted as a member of the Society:
Society
“Society” means the Law Society of Singapore established under section 37;
any advocate and solicitor who does not have in force a practising certificate;
any lawyer (NP) who does not have in force a provisional practising certificate;
any qualified person, not being an advocate and solicitor mentioned in paragraph (a), or a lawyer (NP) mentioned in paragraph (b).
Subject to subsection (5), any of the following persons (not being an advocate and solicitor mentioned in subsection (1)(a), a lawyer (NP) mentioned in subsection (1)(b), a foreign lawyer mentioned in section 40A, or a qualified person mentioned in subsection (1)(c)) may be admitted as a member of the Society on his or her application in the prescribed manner to the Society:
advocate and solicitor
“advocate and solicitor”, “advocate” and “solicitor” mean an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court;
any member of the academic staff —
of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore;
of the School of Law of the Singapore Management University; (iia)of the School of Law of the Singapore University of Social Sciences; or
of any department in any institution of higher learning in Singapore who teaches law in that department;
any person resident in Singapore who is recognised, by a foreign authority having the function conferred by law of authorising or registering persons to practise law in a state or territory other than Singapore, to be eligible to practise law in that state or territory;
any person resident in Singapore who is attending a course of study leading to a qualification prescribed under section 2(2).
Every person who is a member of the Society under subsection (1) or (1A) is called in this Act a non‑practitioner member.
Subsection (1) does not apply to —
an advocate and solicitor —
who has been struck off the roll of advocates and solicitors, or whose name has been removed from that roll under section 100; and
whose name has not been replaced on that roll under section 102;
an advocate and solicitor who has been suspended from practice, for so long as the suspension remains in force;
a lawyer (NP) —
who has been struck off the roll of lawyers (NP), or whose name has been removed from that roll under section 100; and
whose name has not been replaced on that roll under section 102B;
a lawyer (NP) who is subject to an order in section 98 (read with section 82A or 83(3)) prohibiting him or her from applying to the court for admission as an advocate and solicitor until after a date specified in the order, that is still in force; or
a qualified person or a lawyer (NP) who has been prohibited under section 83(3) from applying to the court for admission as an advocate and solicitor, for so long as the prohibition remains in force.
A person admitted as a member of the Society under subsection (1) ceases to be a member if —
being an advocate and solicitor mentioned in subsection (1)(a) —
he or she is struck off the roll of advocates and solicitors or suspended from practice; or
his or her name is removed from that roll under section 100;
being a lawyer (NP) mentioned in subsection (1)(b), he or she has been struck off the roll of lawyers (NP), or has had his or her name removed from that roll under section 100; or
being a lawyer (NP) mentioned in subsection (1)(b) or a qualified person mentioned in subsection (1)(c), he or she is prohibited from applying to the court for admission as an advocate and solicitor.
A person admitted as a member of the Society under subsection (1A)(c) ceases to be a member when he or she becomes a qualified person.
qualified person
“qualified person” means any person who —(a)possesses such qualifications as the Minister may prescribe under subsection (2), or may deem under section 14(2) or (3) to be so prescribed, and satisfies such requirements as the Minister may prescribe under subsection (2);(b)was approved by the Board of Legal Education as a qualified person under section 7 in force immediately before 9 October 2009; or(c)is approved by the Minister as a qualified person under section 15A(1) of this Act as in force immediately before 3 May 2011 or under section 14(1);