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Legal Processes

Admission of Advocates and Solicitors

General Notice:

  1. All applicants applying for admission as a lawyer (NP) and for admission as an advocate and solicitor are hereby notified that they should declare in their affidavits any and all facts, circumstances and events relating to their personal history or background if such facts, circumstances and events are relevant or material to their application(s).
  2. Please note that the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2024 came into effect on 17 July 2024, and the responses to the FAQs below are based on these new admission rules. The Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011 continue to apply to applicants who meet the criteria under rule 52 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2024.
  3. Applicants should refer to the relevant provisions set out in the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2024, the Rules of Court 2021 and the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021 for the law and procedure on admission applications.
  4. Applicants may wish to seek the necessary guidance from their supervising solicitors or from the law firms in which they are serving their practice training contracts, if applicable.
  5. Please note that the Attorney-General’s Chambers is unable to provide any legal advice or guidance to members of the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. I have filed an application to apply for admission as a lawyer (NP) or for admission as an advocate and solicitor. When can I expect to hear back from AGC?

A1. You can expect to receive the letter of no objection or notice of objection from AGC not less than 5 days prior to the date fixed for the hearing of the application. During the peak application seasons every year, we seek your understanding and patience with the processing of your application, due to the high volume of applications. Should you have any further queries regarding your application, please write  AGC_AAS@agc.gov.sg.

Q2. When should I file my affidavits to AGC, in support of my application for admission as a lawyer (NP) or as an advocate and solicitor?

A2. The affidavits should be filed not later than 21 days prior to the date fixed for the hearing of the application.  In some cases, we may require you to file supplementary affidavits to correct any mistakes, or to provide additional information or documents.

Q3. AGC has asked me to file a supplementary affidavit. Can I send the supplementary affidavit to AGC to confirm that it is correct before I file it?

A3. No, the AGC does not provide legal advice to members of the public. Therefore, we will not provide any comments on your draft supplementary affidavit that has not been filed with the Court. We will review your supplementary affidavit after it has been filed with the Court and served on us.

Q4. Is there a template affidavit that I can follow?

A4. Please refer to rule 50 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2024, as well as the SILE website. You should also include any other relevant information and documents in your affidavit, e.g., any letters of exemption. 

Q5. Will AGC object to my application for abridgement of time? 

A5. AGC will consider whether to object to your application for abridgement of time based on the facts of each case. 

Q6. I am a Qualified Person who has just passed the Part B Bar exams. I have submitted my application to register myself as a qualified person with SILE under rule 24(1) of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2024. Should I serve copies of the forms and documents for my application (“SILE QP Registration Documents”) on the AGC as well? 

A6. No, you do not need to serve the SILE QP Registration Documents on the AGC.

Q7. My name has been entered into the Register of Qualified Persons with SILE and I have been issued a letter by SILE to notify me of the same (“ERQ Letter”). Am I required to serve a copy of the ERQ Letter on AGC. What would be the mode or manner of service?

A7. No, you are not required to serve the ERQ Letter on AGC. However, as a matter of good practice, you may wish to e-file and serve a copy of the ERQ Letter together with the Originating Application, when you are filing your application for admission as a lawyer (NP).

Q8. I intend to file my application for admission as a lawyer (NP) or as an advocate and solicitor. Please advise on the documents that I should serve and the stage(s) at which I need to serve these documents. Please also advise on the relevant timelines I ought to adhere to.

A8. Please note that the AGC does not provide legal advice to members of the public.

Q9. I have e-filed the documents for my application as a lawyer (NP) or as an advocate and solicitor, and served the same on AGC via e-Litigation. Would I need to serve hardcopies of the same on AGC?

A9. If you have already served the documents on AGC via e-Litigation, you are not required to serve hardcopies of the same on AGC.