Unlocking Success: Navigating Ethical issues and Professional Challenges in Family Law Practice

13 May 2024 (5.30pm – 7.00pm)
SAL, Stamford 1 & 2, The Adelphi #08-08, 1 Coleman Street S(179803)

Whilst aspiring to the higher ideals of therapeutic justice, family lawyers face unique ethical and professional challenges in their day-to-day practice given the high-conflict and emotional nature of cases. Every lawyer, as officer of the Court is expected to uphold his paramount duty to court and to serve his client’s best interest. The family law practitioner is also expected to consider the interest of the child. In a family matter, emotions often run high with the client which often translate to instructions given to the lawyer to take certain courses of action despite the advice given. Even if the lawyer manages to steer the client away from certain stance which may escalate the acrimony, an over-zealous opponent may unravel the best laid plans. How then should family lawyers navigate these thorny issues and challenges to best uphold professional and ethical standards?

Join senior members of the family bench and bar for a closed-door session and sharing on their experience and insights. Panellist Justice Choo Han Teck is slated to open with his views of family lawyers and ethics, with Ms Engelin Teh S.C. to follow with a segment more specifically on the application of rules 15A and 15B of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules particularly in the context of children matters. Mr Yap Teong Liang will then speak on family law professional ethics vis-à-vis the court, your client, your opponent, and yourself, particularly addressing money matters.

The session closes with a dialogue moderated by Ms Wong Kai Yun exploring practical issues faced by family lawyers including, for example, in children matters, how to advise gatekeeping/alienating clients who influence and coach their children, whether and when to meet with the children involved, and whether and how to prepare a child for a judicial interview; and in money matters, how to approach a client who does not want to give full and frank disclosure, and whether lawyers may take client’s instructions at face value or satisfy himself/herself of compliance say with a court order.

With the recent push to enhance professional and ethical standards, this is an opportunity to engage with what this means for family lawyers not to be missed.

This is a members only event.

Member's Price: $70.00 (before GST)
Associate Student Member's Price: $30.00 (before GST)

SGD 76.30

CPD Points : 1.5 TBC

Family matters

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Overview

Event Programme
5.00pm	Registration and refreshments
5.30pm	Keynote Address by The Honourable Justice Choo Han Teck
6.15pm	Panel Discussion and Q&A Panellists: Justice Choo Han Teck, Supreme Court of Singapore Ms Engelin Teh SC, Managing Director, Engelin Teh Practice LLC Mr Yap Teong Liang, Director, T L Yap Law Chambers LLC Moderator: Ms Wong Kai Yun, Co-Managing Director, Chia Wong Chambers LLC; Co-chairperson Family Law Practice Committee, The Law Society of Singapore
7.00pm	End

Speakers

	The Honourable Justice Choo Han Teck Supreme Court of Singapore Justice Choo Han Teck was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1995 and a High Court Judge in 2003. His areas of specialty include revenue law, employment issues, tort claims and criminal matters. In recent years, Justice Choo has also dealt with family justice matters. Justice Choo received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1979 and Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1986. He began his career as a legal assistant in M/s Murphy & Dunbar in 1980, before joining the National University of Singapore as a lecturer in 1984. Four years later, he joined M/s Allen & Gledhill as a partner, and in 1992, moved to M/s Helen Yeo & Partners in the same capacity. He was also appointed President of the Military Court of Appeal in 2004 and a member of the SAL’s Publication Committee in 2006.
	Ms Engelin Teh, Senior Counsel Managing Director, Engelin Teh Practice LLC Engelin Teh, SC was called to the Singapore bar in 1979 after graduating from the University of Singapore. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998 and admitted to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales in 2008. With a wealth of experience of more than 4 decades in complex commercial litigation and family law, Engelin has represented several high-net-worth clients in complex international family litigation relating to divorce, maintenance, division of matrimonial assets and child issues, including child abduction and relocation. She also has extensive experience in advising clients on the preparation of agreements for settlement of ancillary claims and prenuptial/post-nuptial agreements. Engelin has conducted seminars and workshops on topics focused on family law including issues relating to trusts and wills. Engelin is an internationally accredited mediator with the International Mediation Institute (IMI), Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution. She sits on the panels of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC), the Singapore Construction Mediation Centre and the Dispute Resolution & Compensation Panel (Mediation Panel) of the National Electricity Market of Singapore. Given her vast and varied litigation experience, Engelin has successfully navigated parties through complex situations and seemingly insurmountable differences to achieve effective solutions. She has mediated intricate issues relating to family matters at SIMC, SMC, the Family Justice Courts and under the Law Society Mediation Scheme. She is a Collaborative Family Practitioner and Parenting Coordinator and currently serves on the Family Law Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore.
	Mr Yap Teong Liang Director, T L Yap Law Chambers LLC Yap Teong Liang was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) in 1991 and admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in June 1992. On 10th June 2002, he set up his boutique law firm specialising in Family Law. Teong Liang has represented high net worth clients and handles cases involving foreign marriages, cross-border international complex child abduction and relocation cases, as well as jurisdictional and forum issues (Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America), child custody and access cases, maintenance for the child and wife, division of matrimonial assets and family violence. He is listed as a Preeminent and Leading Family & Divorce Lawyer in the Doyle’s Guide. Teong Liang also practices as a Collaborative Family Practitioner, Parenting Coordinator and is an Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and an Accredited Mediator with the Family Justice Courts and Regent’s University, London (Mediation and Psychology). He is on the panel of Cross-Border Family Mediators of Mediation bei Internationalen Kindschaftskonflikten (MiKK), Berlin, Germany and the Cross-Border Family Mediator's Network. He was Chairperson of the Family Law Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore from 2006 to 2015. He is currently the Chairperson of the Family Law and Children’s Rights Chapter of the Professional Affairs Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law, Chairperson of the Family Law and Family Rights Section and Vice President of LAWASIA. He is appointed by the Chief Justice as a member of the Family Justice Rules Committee constituted pursuant to Section 46(1) of the Family Justice Act and appointed onto the panel of Child Representatives by the Family Justice Courts since October 2014. Teong Liang has presented papers at both local and overseas family law conferences over the years and recently co-authored the Chapter on Dispute Resolution Options in the book “The Art of Family Lawyering” (2019 Special Edition) and authored the chapter on Ancillary Relief: Orders That Can be Made in “The Law and Practice of Family Law in Singapore”.
	Ms Wong Kai Yun Co-Managing Director, Chia Wong Chambers LLC; Co-Chairperson Family Law Practice Committee, The Law Society of Singapore Having been in practice for over 20 years, Ms Wong maintains a niche focus on private wealth and family matters. Ms Wong’s family law clients comprise largely high net worth individuals with especial concerns over financial settlements, as well as cross-jurisdictional issues. Ms Wong is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), as well as a registered practitioner of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She is an accredited Singapore Mediation Centre Associate Mediator, an accredited Mediator on their Family Panel, and sits on the panel of their Collaborative Family Practice and is also a Mediator on the panel of Cross-Border Family Mediators of Mediation bei Internationalen Kindschaftskonflikten (MiKK), Germany. She is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). She is also the Executive Editor of the Singapore Journal of Legal Studies (SJLS), the flagship law journal of the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. In addition to being the Co-Chair of the Family Law Practice Committee, she is also the Co-Chairperson of the Family Law and Children’s Rights Working Group of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) as well as the President of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the IAFL.

Other Information

SILE Accredited CPD Activity
Number of Public CPD points: 1.5 (TBC)
Practice Area: Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Training Level: General

SILE Attendance Policy
Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For this activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer to http://www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more information.

For enquiries related to this event, please email les@sal.org.sg.

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