President’s Review 

NAVIGATING 2020 TOGETHER: A YEAR OF CHALLENGES, CHANGES AND REFLECTION

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. The sudden onset of the global pandemic placed a heavy demand on our members to adapt and respond to the fast-changing needs of the economy, our clients, and of policymakers. These challenges and changes—unprecedented in scale and speed —called on our members to draw upon a strong spirit of professionalism, resilience, and agility. Indeed, many in our profession have risen above and beyond to meet the challenges, and these collective efforts have been indispensable in ensuring the continued provision of essential legal services to those in need, without compromising the safety of those who interact with our justice system.

SWIFT RESPONSES TO AN UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGE

The Academy has endeavoured to stand in solidarity with the profession and to meaningfully support our members during these challenging times. In April, the Academy surveyed practitioners and in-house counsel to better understand how different parts of the profession have been impacted by the pandemic. Guided by the responses, the Academy tailored its support packages and services so that it could offer suitable support to the profession. The broad approach taken comprised two main prongs: (a) to assist individuals in meeting their professional developmental needs; and (b) to help law firms reduce costs and streamline work processes. 

In this regard, all the Academy’s programmes—including its workshops, seminars, and conferences—are now conducted online. These online platforms have enabled our members and other participants to access a diverse menu of curated programmes that explore the pandemic’s impact on specialised areas of legal practice including restructuring, data protection and aviation. In February, the Academy also partnered LinkedIn Learning to offer members a free, flexible, and carefully curated online learning curriculum by means of which they could meet up to half of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. This also helped ensure that the critical platforms for learning, interaction, and exchange of ideas between members of our profession would continue to operate notwithstanding the pandemic.

The Academy’s response to the pandemic was complemented by similar action taken by its subsidiaries. Among other initiatives, the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI) launched a COVID-19 news aggregator to keep members abreast of the pandemic’s impact on legal and judicial systems in the Asia Pacific region. Further, in response to the disruption caused by the “circuit breaker” period to the courts’ operations, the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) partnered with the Supreme Court under the “SGUnited Mediation Initiative” to offer litigants an option of settling their disputes through mediation amicably, quickly, and at no charge to the parties. In all, 106 cases have thus far been referred to the initiative, and we are grateful for the assistance of all the volunteer mediators who are among the best in our profession.

STEADFAST PURSUIT OF OUR CORE OBJECTIVES  

While the response to the pandemic has been a key aspect of the Academy’s work this year, the promotion of Singapore law and legal services remains an area of strategic focus for the Academy. In this respect, I am pleased to note that the Venture Capital Investment Model Agreements (VIMA) Handbook was launched in May last year, extending a practical guide for founders, investors, and lawyers involved in the start-up and venture capital (VC) space. The Handbook, building on other VIMA documents unveiled in 2018, provides guidance for VC deals and will facilitate growth in an important area during this critical period of economic change.

ABLI has also progressed steadily towards its mission of promoting harmonisation of Asia’s business laws. Indeed, the ABLI’s Data Privacy Project, which comprehensively sets out the data privacy and data protection frameworks in the region and facilitates their convergence, was showcased at the prestigious Paris Peace Forum this year. The recognition of the significance of this project is timely, as the smooth and secure flow of personal data is no doubt likely to become even more critical in the post-pandemic environment.

The Academy remains a leader in the creation, organisation, and dissemination of legal knowledge for the profession. Notably, in July, LawNet launched a repository of 66 commercial precedents. Available to existing subscribers at no extra cost, the precedent repository is an important step towards assisting members involved in transactional work. The effort covers areas as diverse as employment law and mergers and acquisitions, and has been positively received, with more than 11,000 visits within the first month of its launch. Initiatives like these complement the Academy’s traditional publishing efforts, which separately saw 15 new titles published last year.

STEERING THE ACADEMY THROUGH AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC

The Academy was able to respond nimbly to the pandemic partly as a result of a conscientious effort to restructure and optimise its internal organisation and infrastructure, with an eye towards the greater utilisation of technology in its processes. These changes will continue under the leadership of Mr Rama Tiwari, who will assume the role of Chief Executive in early February this year.

Mr Tiwari receives the baton from current Chief Executive Ms Serene Wee, who will retire after 27 years of service at the Academy with utmost distinction. On behalf of the Senate, I would like to express our deepest appreciation for her outstanding stewardship and dedication over the years. Her efforts have profoundly shaped the Academy’s vision, nurtured strong and lasting ties with key stakeholders both within and outside Singapore, and laid strong foundations for the continuation of the Academy’s efforts in supporting our members and the profession at large. Serene has agreed, at my request, to remain as a Senior Advisor in a part-time capacity to assist the Executive Board and me as we continue with our transition as an organisation.

Lastly, I wish to express my gratitude to our members and staff for their commitment, hard work, and unstinting support. It has been an unusual and difficult year, but together we have made significant strides in responding to the immediate and longer-term challenges faced by the profession. Thank you, and I look forward to your continued support.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon
President, Singapore Academy of Law