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SINGAPORE – In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court admitted 115 lawyers to the Singapore Bar Association on Wednesday (May 13) via Zoom, a video conferencing platform.
The lawyers were admitted during six sessions conducted remotely the same day.
Judge Choo Han Teck chaired three sessions and Judge Vincent Hoong the other three.
This is the first time that the Supreme Court has admitted lawyers remotely to the Bar Association, a spokesperson told The Straits Times.
Courts in Singapore are hearing only essential and urgent matters until June 1, as a result of the switches’ measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Most of the hearings in April used remote telecommunications technology such as Zoom, Supreme Court Justice Sundaresh Menon said in an April 24 message to court users and legal professionals.
He added that some hearings will likely continue via video or teleconference even after the end of the circuit breaker measures.
On Wednesday, Judge Choo told the 60 lawyers who appeared before him that the Covid-19 crisis emphasized three lessons: social responsibility, patience, and compassion.
He encouraged lawyers to innovate and “take new forms,” but also to be honest, diligent, and humble.
Addressing the 55 attorneys before him, Judge Hoong said the legal profession faces challenges and disruptions, especially during the Covid-19 crisis.
“The fact that we are carrying out these procedures remotely is a sign of the many changes that have been made and will likely continue to be,” he said.
“This is the new normal.”
He hoped that the newly minted attorneys would maintain a life of integrity and learning.
“If you find your calling in the law, it may be that at the end of your career, those who know you and have been touched by you may testify to this about you: ‘truly, a professional, a noble profession,'” he added.
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