Hi there,
I need some advice. I'm a qualified advocate and solicitor from the Singapore Bar having been called in 1990. I stopped practicing just before leaving Singapore and moving to France in 1998 and then to Belgium in 2001 (where I presently reside now). I have worked on several non-legal fields but would now like to come back to legal practice but hopefully in the UK.

Anyone who could provide any advice on how I could apply, whether I would need to take any exams (especially since I've been out of practice fro almost 12 years).?I know for a fact that I'm unable to apply to be admitted to the Rolls of England and Wales (as I'm unable to get a Certificate of Good Standing from the Singapore Bar due to the length of time that I've been out of practice.)

Cheers,
Reynold Pereira
Brussels, Belgium

Hi,
You will have to apply under the QLTS2 (Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme), details of which are given on the official website of SRA. I am writing a summary of that here for you-:

You will have to apply to the SRA under the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme which is effective from 1st september 2010
Once your application has been granted by the SRA, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility in the post. This certificate will remain valid for five years.
You must satisfy the requirements of the QLTS by the expiry of your certificate. If you have not completed the QLTS in this time period, you will have to re-apply and pay the appropriate fee.
A new Certificate of Eligibility cannot be issued before any existing certificate has expired.
The QLTS assessments are in three parts:
Part 1 - Multiple Choice Test (MCT). This will test Day One Outcome A.
Part 2 - Objective Structured Clinical Style Examination (OSCE) This will test interviewing and advocacy skills in the context of three areas of practice: business, civil and criminal litigation and property and probate.
Part 3 - Technical Legal Skills Test (TLST) This will test the skills of legal research, drafting and writing.
Part 1 must be passed before Parts 2 and 3 are attempted. Parts 2 and 3 can be taken in any order.
The rules allow three attempts at each of the three parts of the assessments during the five year validity of your Certificate of Eligibility. If you fail any part of the QLTS assessments three times, you will need to wait until the expiry of your existing Certificate of Eligibility before applying for a new one.

Now the problem for you is the Certificate of good standing .The Certificate of good standing is utmost important. The fact that u've been out of practice for a long time makes no difference if you could still manage to get the Certificate of Good Standing.
The SRA will request a Certificate of Good Standing directly from each of the jurisdictions in which you are registered. Your application will be pending awaiting receipt of this information from the law society / bar.
It is your responsibility to ensure your confirmation of good standing arrangements are in place with the recognised jurisdictions to supply a Certificate of Good Standing when requested. They will not accept this information from any party other than the authorised contact.
It is your responsibility to contact your home bar at the earliest convenience to pay for this service if they charge a fee. This will ensure your application is processed as efficiently as possible and you will not experience unnecessary delays whilst the SRA awaits confirmation of your good standing from your home bar.

Hope this helps you.

Hi dsmatharu,
Thank you for your very comprehensive reply. I really appreciate it.

As you have correctly pointed out, my biggest issue will be with the Certificate of Good Standing. I would have had to be in practice in my home jurisdiction for at least two years preceding my application for the certificate. I will have to check with the Law Society of Singapore as to whether there is any other way of obtaining this certificate.

Once again, thanks.

Cheers,
Rey

Hi dsmatharu,
I just had an email from the Law Society of Singapore. They informed me that as long as my name is still on the Rolls of the Singapore Courts, they will be able to provide me with a Certificate of Good Standing.
Thanks once again for pointing me into the right direction. I really appreciate it.

Cheers,
Rey

happy to help :)