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Please
check this webpage for updates in mid-2010.
Part A Bar Preparation
Course and Examination
- What is the Part A Bar Course and Examination?
Arising from changes announced in Parliament on 13 February 2009,
qualified persons graduating from scheduled foreign universities and
fulfilling the conditions prescribed by the Legal Profession Act
will have to pass Part A and Part B of a new Bar Examination in
order to be called to the Bar. The current Diploma in Singapore Law
course will be discontinued. The preparatory Course for the Part A
Examination will be conducted from August 2009, and the Examination
itself in November 2009. The Bar Course is optional, which means
that individuals have the option to take the Examination without
undergoing the Course.
- Where will
the Course and Examination be offered?
The Course and Examination will be offered by the NUS Faculty of Law at its Bukit Timah Campus.
- What is the duration and dates of the Course and Examination?
The Course will run for a total of 13 weeks, commencing Wednesday 12
August 2009 and ending Saturday 7 November 2009. Registration will
be conducted on Tuesday 11 August 2009. Accepted students will
receive an email with registration information by 8 August 2009. There is only one intake per calendar year. There will be 10 teaching weeks, 1 recess week, 1 reading/review week and 1 examination week. The course will generally follow the academic calendar for NUS's first semester. Hence, all aspects of teaching will be similar to that of any other NUS one-semester course except that the Part A Course will be completed in 13 weeks rather than the usual 15-week NUS semester. The breakdown of the weeks is as follows (schedule subject to change):
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Week 1:
11 – 14 August 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 2:
17 – 21 August 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 3:
24 – 28 August 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 4:
31 August – 04 September 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 5:
07 – 11 September 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 6:
14 – 18 September 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 7:
19 – 27 September 2009: |
Recess
Week |
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Week 8:
28 September – 02 October 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week 9:
05 – 09 October 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week
10: 12 – 16 October 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week
11: 19 – 23 October 2009: |
Teaching Week |
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Week
12: 26 – 30 October 2009: |
Reading
Week |
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Week
13: 02 – 07 November 2009: |
Part A Bar
Examination Week |
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Rest of
November 2009: |
Grading |
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Results
Expected to be Released: |
First Week of
December 2009 |
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Supplementary Papers for Failed Subjects: |
Week of
14 December 2009 |
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Results
for Supplementary Papers: |
Week of
28 December 2009 |
- Must I attend the Course, i.e. can I just take the Examination?
The Course is optional. Hence, individuals may apply to sit for the Examination without undergoing the Course.
- What are the relevant fees?
The fees are reflected in the table below. The Course is
subsidised by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE), and
students pay subsidised rates as a result. For international
students (if admitted by the Board of Legal Education and approved
by the Ministry of Law), the relevant fees will depend on whether
they take up a service obligation to work in a Singapore company
upon completing the Course and Examination. Details relating to
accepting the service obligation will be made available upon
registration. Please also note that the fees payable may differ if
the applicant has pursued an earlier MOE-subsidised tertiary
programme in Singapore. The “Examination Only” fee is standardised
for all categories of students, and attracts no MOE subsidy or
service obligation. Students will be billed accordingly upon
registration.
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Course & Examination |
Examination Only |
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Singapore
Citizens
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S$2,550 |
S$1,000 |
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Singapore
Permanent Residents
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S$2,810 |
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International Students (with service obligation)*
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S$3,830 |
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International Students (without service obligation)*
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S$6,380 |
* The service obligation requires the applicant to work in Singapore-based companies for 3 years upon completing the Course and Examination. Singapore-based companies refer to local and international companies that have a base in Singapore that are registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as well as companies of such local and international companies registered with ACRA that are based overseas.
- What are the subjects and teaching hours?
There will be five compulsory subjects in total. These are: Criminal Law, Constitutional Law and Legal System, Land Law, Company Law, and Evidence Law. Students must take and pass all five subjects. There will be 3 hours of classes per subject per week. Classes will primarily be conducted in the day during regular working hours. The exact schedule of classes will be made available upon registration.
- Who is eligible to take the Course and Examination?
All “qualified persons” from scheduled universities under the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules will be eligible. Please check the latest Rules on the website of the Board of Legal Education at
http://www.lawsociety.org.sg/ble/. Applicants who are not Singapore citizens will need to get a certificate of exemption from the Ministry of Law. Acceptance into and completion of the Part A Bar Course do not, in themselves, qualify a person as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore.
- How do I apply, and when is the deadline?
The application form is available on the NUS Law website at
http://law.nus.edu.sg/prospective/postgrad/application.htm.
The deadline for submission of applications has been extended till
15 June 2009 following the announcement on 13 May 2009 by the
Ministry of Law. Click
here for the Ministry's press release.
[Update: we are now accepting late applications for taking the
Examination only. The deadline is 1 September 2009 and the form is
available at the above link.]
- What if I intend to take the Examination only? Do I use the same application form?
Yes, the same application form is to be used for those intending to
take the Examination only. Please indicate your choice of “Course
and Examination” or “Examination Only” on the application form. The
same deadline for submission will apply. All supporting
documents/transcripts must be submitted, even if you intend to take
only the Examination.
- Will NUS Law accept applications submitted using the previous Graduate Diploma in Singapore Law application form?
Yes. We will assume that all those who have submitted the previous form would like to enroll for both the Part A Course and Examination, unless you advise us otherwise. In this regard, please email us at
lawgradadm@nus.edu.sg.
- If I register to take the Examination only, can I change my mind to enroll in the Course later?
No. We do need to plan for teaching spaces and arrangements, and we will only admit into the Course those who indicate explicitly that they wish to pursue the Course.
- If I wish
to take the Examination only, can I apply beyond the deadline?
No. We need to finalise the teaching and examination
logistics, and we would appreciate your kind co-operation to decide
by the relevant deadline.
[Update:
The deadline is 1 September 2009.]
-
If
I wish to take the examination only, can I obtain the study
materials?
We will make the syllabi and reading lists available. But there will
be no "course pack" with cases, articles or commentaries.
- Can the Examination be taken overseas?
No. We currently do not have the logistical and financial means to offer the Examination in various capital cities worldwide. This is something we will look into in future years.
- If anyone fails a relevant subject, will there be a supplementary examination? What happens if the person fails the supplementary examination as well?
Supplementary papers will be conducted in the week of 14
December 2009. If a person fails any supplementary paper(s), he/she
will have to re-take the relevant paper(s) in the next year, and
will have to pay the full Examination fee again. The full Course fee
(which incorporates the Examination fee) will apply if a person
wishes to re-take the Course in the next year. This full Course fee
is unsubsidised, and will amount to $10,200.
- Will students be graded, and will I be given a Certificate upon passing the Examination?
The individual subjects will be graded on a pass/fail basis
only, and a certificate of completion will be issued to students who
pass all five subjects.
- Who do I contact for further enquiries?
You may email
lawgradadm@nus.edu.sg.
We will only be able to respond to queries on the Part A Bar Course
and Examination.
For queries relating to admission into the
Singapore Bar, please refer to
MinLaw's FAQ or email
contact@mlaw.gov.sg .
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