Singapore Law Blog

7th January 2006 marks the official opening of the new Supreme Court Building, which has been in operation since June 2005. The building was officially opened by President S R Nathan.

The building's opening was held in conjunction with the opening of the new Legal Year 2006. In his address for the Opening of the Legal Year, the President of the Law Society, Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, said:

"The Singapore lawyer is perhaps the epitome of value for money. Yet there are litigants, especially in family cases and small civil cases, who go unrepresented. In criminal cases, the reach of the Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme is limited. Thorough review is needed of how to deliver legal services to the less well-off, say households in the bottom 40 per cent. The Society intends to study this issue, and make proposals to Government on how a public-private partnership might better meet the legal needs of the less well-off.".

As is traditional, the Chief Justice announced the appointment of Tan Chee Meng as Senior Counsel in his response for the Opening of the Legal Year.