Longer wait for lawyers to renew Practising Certificate under new system

SINGAPORE — A new e-filing system has been rolled out by the Supreme Court to provide a “one-stop shop” for lawyers to renew their Practising Certificates but, for some, this annual process is taking longer than before, resulting in them having to ask for adjournments on their cases until their certificates are renewed.

The certificates expired on March 31. While some lawyers have been able to renew their certificates within days, others told TODAY they are still waiting after two weeks.

The new system commenced last month. The new system requires lawyers to make only a single application using their SingPass on the Supreme Court’s e-filing platform. Previously, lawyers had to go to the Singapore Academy of Law and The Law Society before they applied electronically with the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court said the waiting time under the new system is three weeks. In comparison, the renewal took four to five days under the previous system, said lawyers.

Lawyer Lim Biow Chuan, who is also Member of Parliament for Mountbatten, said: “Under the old system, once (an) application (was filed), I would receive the Practising Certificate immediately via email. Under (the) new system, (I) have to wait for (about) one week plus.”

All lawyers are required to hold a valid Practising Certificate and it is an offence to practise without one. A lawyer, who requested not to be named, said she had to ask the court for permission to continue a trial at a later date.

“I had to inform the court that I didn’t have my Practising Certificate and seek leave from the judge to continue (with the hearing) or ask for an adjournment,” she said.

Another lawyer, who also declined to be named, said the new system is too slow. “After getting used to the previous system, every lawyer has been caught off guard by the sudden slowness in processing,” said the lawyer, who has been in practice for 17 years. He was also concerned about the waiting period for his Practising Certificate as lawyers had been charged for practising without a valid certificate, he said.

In responses to queries, the Supreme Court said as of April 2, 83 per cent of lawyers who have valid Practising Certificates have submitted their certificate applications. Application figures change every year as not all lawyers renew their certificates while others return to practice.

Lawyers had been briefed on the expected three-week time frame for processing the applications, said a spokesperson.

Noting that applications are expected to continue flowing in this month — as is usually the case — the spokesperson said certificates issued any time this month would be deemed to be in force from April 1, as provided for under the Legal Profession Act.

“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we expect all applications to be processed by April 30,” he added.

To enhance the process, the Supreme Court is reviewing the possibility of opening the application process earlier for next year’s renewal exercise, he said.

Lawyers said that, while waiting for their applications to be approved, they would seek leave from the court or ask for a short adjournment. If necessary, they would ask other lawyers from their firms to sign letters for their clients.

Despite longer waits for some, most lawyers had praise for the new system, noting that it is easily accessible on the go and involved fewer steps on their part. Teething problems are expected, given that the system is new, they added.

Lawyer Amolat Singh said: “Like any new system, some may encounter difficulty as most may be unfamiliar. But once you get a feel of what the template (is) ... it does not pose any additional difficulties.”

However, some noted that they now have to file applications personally through SingPass while, in the past, their firms could file on their behalf as a group.

Lawyer Peter Low suggested that the system allow legal managers to file the applications on behalf of their lawyers for greater convenience.