Legal Profession (Professional Conduct Rule 2015) : A Commentary, 2nd Edition

Since the first edition of the book was released in 2016, the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 (“PCR”) have undergone a number of significant revisions. This second version captures these significant changes to Singapore’s ethical standards.

Alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) has grown in significance, and the PCR was updated in 2017 to include explicit ADR ethics guidelines. The PCR was updated in 2018 to include new rules governing attorneys’ conduct in family law cases. These PCR modifications consist of:

– Rule 8A, which sets down the obligations of attorneys participating in ADR proceedings.

– The insertion of a new subparagraph to Rule 17(2)(e) (Rule 17(2)(e)(ii)), which mandates that the attorney evaluate the employment of ADR procedures with the client.

– Rules 49A and 49B address moral dilemmas brought on by third-party sponsorship.

– In the interest of clarity and precision, Rule 35(8), which addresses the meaning of “management” in relation to the management and operation of a law practise, was modified.

– Rule 15A aims to ensure that lawyers approach family proceedings in a constructive and conciliatory manner, inform their clients about ADR options, encourage their clients to consider an amicable resolution of family proceedings whenever it is reasonable to do so, and, where a child is involved, give the child’s welfare legal priority in the lawyer’s approach to the case and in the client’s advice.

– In any family procedure, a lawyer who has served as a child advocate or parenting coordinator may have a conflict of interest. This is addressed by Rule 15B.

The general public would fully comprehend the obligations of lawyers to clients after reading this book. This second edition, which builds on the success of the first, will continue to be a crucial and important tool for comprehending the unique dynamics of ethical behaviour in contemporary legal practise.

AUTHOR

At the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law, Jeffrey Pinsler SC teaches legal theory and practise. His areas of expertise include civil justice, criminal and civil evidence, procedure, and ethics. He holds the titles of barrister-at-law, advocate, solicitor, and fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. He also serves as the Singapore Mediation Centre’s principal mediator and is a member of numerous professional committees for judicial and governmental organisations, including the Singapore Academy of Law and the Supreme Court of Singapore. He has testified as an amicus curiae before the Court of Appeal and spoken at conferences and reform initiatives around the world. For his services to education, he received the Doctor of Laws (LLD) title in 2004. He was named Senior Counsel in 2008.

In his capacity as a writer and/or general editor, he has created numerous significant publications and articles, many of which are regarded as vital references by practitioners and are frequently cited by courts.