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Need help related to graduate law school

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lily0002

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Posts: 3
Need help related to graduate law school
Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:53 PM
Hi, I am a final year Bioengineering student from NTU Singapore. I am interested to pursue a degree in law related to patents and Intellectual property management.

Since my bachelor's degree is in Engineering instead of law, is there any master programme or law school (graduate entry) for persons without any background in law like me? (either in Singapore or overseas, as long as I can work in Singapore later on)

For your information, I am an international student from Indonesia and have to work 6 years in Singapore due to my scholarship bond. I am eligible for Singapore PR upon permanent employment.

Thank you very much.
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Vanquish


Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 29
Need help related to graduate law school
Mon Sep 17, 2007 08:19 PM
Hi,
could you please clarify what you mean by work?
Do you want to practise (qualify as a lawyer) or just work as an in-house counsel( you advise on the law but you are not regarded as a lawyer)?

If you want to practise, your best bet would be to apply to NUS for their 3 year graduate-entry LLB. LLMs will not qualify you to be called to the Singapore Bar.

[Edited by Vanquish on 17 Sep 2007]
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lily0002

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Posts: 3
Need help related to graduate law school
Tue Sep 18, 2007 06:24 PM
Hi, Thank you very much for your reply =)

My work bond doesn't specify certain type of job which I should take later on.

So, is it correct to say that I must take 3 year LLB course if I want to be qualified as lawyer, but I can take LLM if I only want to work as in-house counsel?

May I know how long will it take to complete LLM? Is it true that I must take it in NUS for me to be able to practise in Singapore?

Is there any scholarships or financial assistance available for LLM or LLB programme?

Thank you very much =)
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Vanquish


Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 29
Need help related to graduate law school
Tue Sep 18, 2007 09:00 PM
In a nutshell, you must have a law undergraduate degree in NUS or from an approved foreign university in order to qualify for the Singapore bar. A masters degree from anywhere, including the NUS LLM, will not qualify you to practice law. If you are not qualified to practice law, you cannot go to court and argue a case. You can however give advice on a legal dispute.

The list of approved foreign universities as well as any additional requirements needed to qualify for the Singapore Bar are discussed in www.llm-guide.com/board/34010. To cut a long story short, the cheapest and most reliable route is to do it through nus. If I remember correctly, Singapore does not accept two year uk graduate entry degrees even if they are from one of the approved uk universities. So, you need to spend a minimum of 3 years doing a LLB degree, wherever you decide to study. You might want to check the board of legal education website to be sure. The link to the Board's website was provided in the discussion whose link I have provided above.

LLM last for one year and not all LLMs admit non-law degree holders. You got to check with the schools individually concerning whether a law degree is required. Likewise, you got to surf to each school's website individually to check on scholarship requirements.

[Edited by Vanquish on 18 Sep 2007]
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