Apply for practising certificates

Apply for practising certificate for the practice year 2022/2023

Applications for practising certificate for the practice year 2022/2023 (1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023) will be received from 1 March 2022. All applications are to be made through eLitigation. If your law practice does not have an eLitigation account, please make the application through the LawNet Service Bureau.

You are advised to apply for your practising certificate as soon as possible before the end of March 2022. A practising certificate issued in March 2022 will be dated 1 April 2022. A practising certificate issued in April 2021 will be dated with the date of issue but shall be deemed to be in force from the first day of April.

Please refer to the  Law Society website  for more information on the application for a practising certificate for Practice Year 2022/2023.

Who must apply for practising certificates

Every solicitor who wishes to act in the capacity of an advocate and solicitor must apply for a practicing certificate.

When to apply

For every practice year, every solicitor must apply for a practising certificate before acting in the capacity of an advocate and solicitor. The term "practice year" means the period from 1 April in any calendar year to 31 March in the next calendar year.

Every practising certificate issued will be in force from the date of issue to the end of the practice year, except that a practising certificate issued in April shall be deemed to be in force from 1 April.

You may submit an application to the Registrar for a practising certificate in respect of a practice year no earlier than the month preceding the commencement of the practice year. For example, for the practice year 2022 to 2023 (which means the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023), the application for a practising certificate for that practice year cannot be submitted before 1 March 2022.

How to apply

You can apply for or renew a practising certificate online through eLitigation.

If you do not have online access to eLitigation, you may:

• Apply for limited access to eLitigation's practising certificate e-filing function.
• Visit the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau to apply in person.

For more information, refer to:

• Part XVIII of the Supreme Court Practice Directions on the procedure to apply for practising certificates.
• The Law Society of Singapore's guide on applying for a practising certificate.

Request for waiver under Section 50(2) of the Legal Profession Act

Law Society Council Elections 2022

For the attention of Advocates and Solicitors in the Middle Category and Junior Category who had in force a practising certificate on 10 October 2022 (nomination day).

The Law Society of Singapore has informed the Registrar that practitioner members in the Middle and Junior Categories are required to vote in the Law Society Council Election on 25 October 2022 (“election day”). Please note that under the Legal Profession Act, voting is compulsory and practitioner members who fail to vote on election day may not be entitled to apply for a practising certificate.

Practitioner members who are not in Singapore on election day, or have a good and sufficient reason for not voting, may seek a waiver from the voting requirement from the Registrar, Supreme Court. Kindly note that the waiver may be sought only after election day, i.e. from 25 October 2022.

Advocates and Solicitors in the Middle and Junior categories are to note that a Request for a waiver under section 50(2) of the Legal Profession Act (“Request”) is to be submitted for the Registrar’s consideration before the advocate and solicitor submits the application for a practising certificate. A Request which is submitted after the application for a practising certificate has been submitted and after the penalty of $500 has been paid will not be considered. For details on how to apply, please click here.

Estimated fees

The Supreme Court will collect the following fees for applications through eLitigation:

Note: This table does not include the applicable subscription fees, levies, contributions, and other fees and charges payable to the Law Society of Singapore or the Singapore Academy of Law. It also does not include additional fees payable for applications made through the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.

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