Statement by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on structural changes to the legal service

I welcome the Government’s decision to restructure the Legal Service, recognising the call for greater specialisation in a more complex and rapidly evolving legal landscape. The separation of the Judicial and Legal Services will enable us to develop personnel management frameworks and specialist training and professional development opportunities that will better meet the particular needs of public sector legal officers.

2. This is a development of steps that the Legal Service had earlier taken towards greater specialisation. In 2014, separate “Judicial” and “Legal” career tracks were introduced for Legal Service Officers in the middle ranks as a step in this direction while enabling younger officers to have exposure to both areas of work. The experience has been positive and, in that sense, the present plan to split the growing corps of our legal officers in the public sector is a natural progression.

3. I am confident that our Officers will benefit from this restructuring exercise and will be better equipped to perform their duties in the administration of justice.

4. I thank the past and current members of the Legal Service Commission for their unstinting support in working to build a legal service that Singapore can be proud of. I look forward to leading the new Judicial Service Commission that will oversee the Judicial Service.