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Safeguard accessibility of legal counsel in S’pore

“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.” One of Magna Carta’s ruling principles seems to ring with irony in its country of origin, the United Kingdom.

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Edwin Teong Ying Keat

“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.” One of Magna Carta’s ruling principles seems to ring with irony in its country of origin, the United Kingdom.

With reference to the commentary “Magna Carta then and now” (Nov 19), about the relevance of Magna Carta, it could be said that accessibility of legal aid to those who have little money in the UK has been diminished.

As Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd remarked recently, the scale of court fees and the cost of legal assistance are putting access to justice out of the reach of most people.

This is in tandem with the dearth of legal aid offered to divorcees, as reported in the Guardian newspaper, with divorcees conducting their own defence and cross-examination, a skill they lack specialisation in but also the financial capacity to afford.

Fortunately, one can be grateful that Singapore society places emphasis on providing schemes such as the Legal Aid Bureau and the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, on top of the mandatory reporting of pro bono work done by practising lawyers.

That said, we should derive lessons from the UK and take the regression in its pro bono landscape as a reminder of the need to enshrine the values of being a solicitor whose actions mirror the values his society embraces.

It would be more heart-warming to see lawyers engage in pro bono work without needing to record the hours clocked, which may at times not be a fair gauge of the nature of the work itself and of values such as empathy.

The above-mentioned tenet in Magna Carta has a simple premise: Justice should be made accessible to all, given that we should be judged as equals in the eyes of the law, regardless of social status.

Unfortunately, the legal landscape across different societies, such as the UK, seems to be promoting legal advice as a luxury that only the higher echelons of society can afford.

The Ministry of Law and the Law Society have been successful in preventing such potential pitfalls insofar as cultivating pro bono work.

We remain compassionate, but we are not impervious to the vagaries of change.

So, may we remain grounded in the application of Magna Carta and its relevance to our society so that it is a level playing field.

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