Legal Ethics in Singapore

Legal Ethics Laws, regulations and codes of conduct attempts to define measures of deportment for attorneys in society. They form an important part of the jurisdictions regulative process. These laws and codes of conduct demand a certain standard in which sanctioned professionals should adhere to in their professional and private lives. It also represents a standard of ethical behaviour defined by legislators and professional bodies. In Singapore, in that respect atomic number 18 a number of primary sources of legal ethics. The following are the main sources of legal ethics * The Legal Profession Act adjuvant legislation * Practice directions from the judicial systems * Practice directions form the Law Society * discriminatory decisions and opinions on legal ethics Lawyers are bound to these laws and regulation and must(prenominal)(prenominal)iness adhere to them diligently so as to not straw international from ethical behaviour or to a harsher extent of being tabu from practising law in Singapore. In essence, a lawyers barter can be categorized into two main groups. They are the lawyers (I) art to the court and (ii) trade to the client. The tables below explain briefly, the various duties lawyers have to the court and to their clients.Lawyers duty to the Court Duty Explanation honesty in Court Rule 2(2) A Professional organize Rules- moldiness not mislead the court Responsibility to Clients Conduct Responsible for clients conduct and representation of the case observance Undertaking to the Court A Lawyers word must be his bond Respect for the Court Lawyer conduct must be consistent with standing, dignity & authority of the court Responsibility in Assisting Administrative Justice Lawyers are officers of the court Lawyers duty to the ClientDuty Explanation Honesty Honesty in solely(prenominal) dealings with the client Diligence & Competence Lawyer is expected to do necessary skills and diligently apply himself to the case Confide ntiality Obligation to maintain confidentiality of each(prenominal) communication between him and client Conflict of Interest Lawyers conduct must not be influenced by personal or private interests A lawyers challenge is to balance his responsibilities to advocate the court with his duty to look after the best interest of his client.In essence, his duty to the administration of justice is weighed higher than the duty he has to his client. However, it brings active a concern for lawyers when defending their clients. This can be seen in situations in where a lawyer has to exercise his judgement in introducing evidence to the court. If the lawyer does not exercise his judgement in the favour of the court, he is position his client at a disadvantage. Therefore it is extremely important that a lawyer does adhere to his duty to the court without compromising the position or case of his in any way for it to be advantageous for all parties.