Globalisation has not excluded the legal
profession. Knowledge of other legal systems and inter-action
between lawyers from different jurisdictions are recognised
as essential factors contributing to an attractive business
location. The legal profession in both Germany and Singapore
has undergone radical changes during the last few years to keep
up with the changing world of business. German lawyers are increasingly
confronted with Anglo-American practices and the past months
have seen consolidation amongst smaller firms and a wave of
mergers with mainly English law firms to prepare for the challenges
ahead. Regional legal services are in demand in Singapore and
the Government has allowed joint law ventures and alliances
with international law firms to facilitate cross-border transactions
and to better understand different legal cultures and practices.
The Association complements this development.
In July 2000, German lawyers interested in Singapore and its
legal system and Singapore lawyers with similar interest in
Germany have founded the German-Singaporean Lawyers’ Association.
The Association, registered with the Berlin Registrar of Societies
as “Deutsch-Singapurische Juristen-Vereinigung e.V.”,
has more than 50 members from the legal profession of both countries
but is open to other individuals and organisations as well.
Singapore Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs H.E. Prof. S.
Jayakumar, Singapore Ambassador Prof. Walter Woon, former German
Ambassador Volker Schlegel and Prof. Rauschning, founding father
of the German Law Student Exchange Programme with the National
University of Singapore, are honorary members of the
Association. We closely co-operate with the Law Society of Singapore,
the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore (NUS),
the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (Germany’s premier
scholarship foundation) and various other organizations in Germany
and Singapore.
In May 2001, the Association held its first
annual conference in Singapore. Former German Ambassador
Schlegel and Mr Chan Sek Keong, Attorney-General of Singapore
and guest-of-honor, welcomed 60 guests from Singapore and Germany
to an opening reception at the Ambassador’s residence.
The presentations and panel discussions on the following day
were held at the new auditorium of Parliament House.
A similar event is again planned in Singapore for 2003.
The Association is the first of its kind
in Singapore, although Germany has similar bilateral tie-ups
with several other countries. The Association aims to promote
deeper knowledge and understanding of Singapore law in Germany
and of German and EU law in Singapore, enhance co-operation
and facilitate business relations between both countries, support
a regular exchange of law students and pupils, and generally
offer a forum for contacts between German and Singaporean
colleagues.
In the words of Ambassador Prof. Woon, in his
Grusswort to the 2001 Conference: “An understanding of
the law is a gateway to understanding the culture and mindset
of a nation. Stereotypes formed by the Anglo-Saxon press dominate
the image of Singapore in Germany and that of Germany in Singapore.
It is only through a process of personal contact that we can
move beyond the stereotypes to a true understanding of one another’s
cultures and mores. It is my hope that the German-Singaporean
Lawyers Association will play a leading role in fostering a
closer people-to-people relationship between our two countries.”
As far back as in 1979, Prof. S. Jayakumar,
then Dean of the Law Faculty of NUS, and Prof. Dietrich Rauschning
from the University of Goettingen had initiated an exchange
program for undergraduate law students. The German students
who went to Singapore were selected from the Studienstiftung
des Deutschen Volkes, the premier German scholarship foundation.
Over the years, almost 70 German law students have spent a four-months
term as special students at the NUS law faculty. They were able
to gain insights in the Singapore legal system, and their experiences
have made them friends and ambassadors of Singapore in Europe.
In 1997, after Prof. Rauschning had retired from his office
at the University, the program came to an end. In a joint effort
to re-vitalize this exchange program Ambassador Prof. Woon and
the Association have convinced the Studienstiftung to again
start sending German students to Singapore as of summer 2003.
Ambassador Prof. Woon and the Association will be involved in
the selection process and also provide academic guidance for
interested students.
We will further support and contribute to postgraduate
research and study projects by students and scholars from both
countries, and hope to also arouse interest among young Singaporean
law students to spend some time at a German law school.
Fostering the exchange of young lawyers
and contributing to an understanding of legal developments
in both countries are among the prime objectives of GSLA.
Mannheim / Singapore, August 2002
Dr Axel Reeg, Chairman
Thomas Weidlich, Vice-Chairman
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