The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law has obtained an exclusive licence from the US-based BAR/BRI Bar Review to run its renowned New York Bar Review Course in Singapore. Now in its fourth decade of preparing candidates for bar exams throughout the United States, BAR/BRI is the leading provider of bar review courses in the United States. Out of 9,000 candidates who sit for the New York Bar Exam, close to 7,500 rely on BAR/BRI.

The Faculty of Law is the first law school, and only the fifth institution outside the U.S. to receive an exclusive licence from BAR/BRI. Previously, individuals who were interested in attending the BAR/BRI New York Bar Review course had to be either physically in the U.S. or purchase BAR/BRI’s home study programme, which is more costly.

The Faculty’s initiative was in response to growing demand among practitioners for foreign bar qualifications and is part of its strategy to develop itself into a regional hub for legal training and research. As legal practice evolves from a domestic to a more globally-oriented arena, the Faculty anticipates that more practitioners will wish to hone their skills in New York-based law firms. The Faculty’s agreement with BAR/BRI implements the recommendation from the Economic Review Committee's Working Group on Legal Services that the Faculty collaborate with foreign institutions to establish local training facilities for foreign professional qualification.

The inaugural New York Bar Review Course in Singapore will prepare students for the New York Bar Exam to be conducted in New York on 29 and 30 July 2003. Individuals who have completed the equivalent of a three-year degree course based on English common law at a recognised law school are eligible to take the New York Bar Exam, even if they do not possess a U.S. law degree. The course of study must have been substantially equivalent to a U.S. legal education. Most individuals with either a U.K. or NUS undergraduate law degree are eligible to take the New York Bar Exam. 

The Faculty’s agreement with BAR/BRI will bring the benefits of its American counterpart to the local audience, with additional features to accommodate the schedules of busy practitioners. Unlike the American version which is run over an intensive 8 weeks, the local version will be a part-time course run over 16 weeks from 26 March to 12 July. Apart from four full day sessions to be held on weekends, classes will be conducted twice weekly on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

According to Assistant Professor Disa Sim, the coordinator of this project, the agreement with BAR/BRI could not have come at a better time. “The proposed free-trade agreement with the U.S. will liberalise the legal sector by making it easier for individuals with an American law degree to practice in Singapore and for American law firms to operate joint ventures,” she said. “The New York Bar Review Course offers local practitioners an opportunity to enhance their marketability.”

For more information, please visit http://law.nus.edu.sg/. Those interested in pursuing the course can contact Ms Poova at tel: 6874 3644 or email lawpn@nus.edu.sg/. 

For more information, please contact:

Mr Chan Wing Cheong
Associate Professor
Faculty of Law. NUS
Tel: 6874 6235
E-mail:  lawcwc@nus.edu.sg

Ms LO Tien Yin
Manager
Corporate Communications/Media
National University of Singapore
Tel: 6874 6822 / Email :uprloty@nus.edu.sg

Related News Articles:

• You can now take BAR/BRI exams in NUS
  Lianhe zaobao, 14 January 2003, Page 12
  
   
• NUS to run New York Bar course
  The Business Times,  7 January 2003, Page 8
  
   
• Easier way to extend legal practice to US
  Today,  8 January 2003, Page 6