Lawyers fail to settle travel policy row

Lawyers fail to settle travel policy row
05:55 AM Jan 18, 2011
by Ong Dai Lin
SINGAPORE - A move by a group of lawyers to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to revoke the Law Society's new Business Class travel policy was rejected yesterday. But the 44 lawyers behind the move are not giving up yet.

The president of the Association of Criminal Lawyers in Singapore, Mr Subhas Anandan, a prime mover behind the call for the EGM, told MediaCorp that he would now propose a motion of no-confidence to be passed against Law Society president Wong Meng Meng and its council at an EGM.
The signatures of 25 lawyers are needed to call for an EGM.
Mr Anandan told Media-Corp that the group of lawyers opposed to the travel policy - which has grown to more than 100 - will be meeting today to decide on the next course of action.
He added that he is surprised that the call for the EGM, made earlier this month, was rejected "after all the talk about frank communication and good faith".
The Law Society said yesterday, it will convene a townhall session after the Chinese New Year to "solicit the views of its members" on the travel policy but Mr Anandan wondered if it was "just lip service or nothing has changed".
The Law Society said in a statement that society members do not have the power to pass a resolution to revoke the travel policy, according to advice it sought from Senior Counsel Davinder Singh of Drew & Napier.
It added, that under the Legal Profession Act, it is the council that has the power to manage the society and its funds and to reimburse travel expenses. An EGM would lack the power to revoke the travel policy.
MediaCorp had reported last November about the flap in the legal fraternity.
It was triggered by Mr Wong's announcement in the September issue of the Law Gazette that he and two vice-presidents would be eligible for Business Class travel when going abroad on official society business where the flights last five hours or longer.
If the motion of no-confidence is filed, it marks the first time since 2003 that a group of Law Society members has sought to oust the incumbent president.
In 2003, veteran lawyer Goh Aik Chew sought a vote of no-confidence against the society's then president, Ms Arfat Selvam, over proposals to tighten firms' accounting practices through the Solicitors' Accounts Rules.
An EGM was held in October 2003 but the meeting lasted less than an hour before more than 300 members voted to adjourn it.
Later that month, Ms Selvam, who had held office for a year, decided not to seek re-election at the Law Society's annual election.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC110118-0000162/Lawyers-fail-to-settle-travel-policy-row
Copyright 2011 MediaCorp Pte Ltd | All Rights Reserved
=====================
At/ related:
A1forum:
19Jan2011: Lawyers fail to settle travel policy row