Lawyer Salary

Hi, in reading this thread i notice the word "rich" used quite often.

May I ask then is a 54 yr old GP with a net worth of 15 million sgd considered rich?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

hi, do you know what the pay of civil servant lawyers (specifically, within the legal service commission as dpps, ass. registrars or wtv) is? for scholars and for non-scholars? how much does this differ in the long run from my career trajectory in the private sector?

i was lucky to do well enough in a levels to be offered places in top uk unis (lse, ucl, cambridge etc.), and am thinking whether or not i should join the civil service or just come back and try for a job at the big firms..... obviously, i am considering other factors e.g. worklife balance, job satisfaction and security etc, but still a bit confused la. help will be very much appreciated =)

If you are planning to return to Singapore, then you should just take up a scholarship. Law is one of the few public service jobs where what you learnt in the first few years will be considered relevant so you can still move out into the private sector when your bond ends. If you get a second upper, your pay in the legal service will be comparable to your peers outside, at least up till your fourth or fifth year. This is partly because you will be drawing a full salary in your first year while they are still serving their training contracts; that first year gives you quite a cushion in terms of earnings. Obviously, once your friends starting making junior partner, they will outpace you, but you shouldn't lag too far behind, and if you leave the legal service when your bond ends, you can still catch up. I am not at liberty to reveal what starting salaries are, but I am sure if you speak to one of the legal service officers at one of these recruitment sessions, they would be happy to disclose that information discreetly.

Of course, if you want to keep your options open, then you will have to fork out a huge sum to go overseas and study, or alternatively, you can just study in NUS/SMU. The law firms don't care whether you have an Oxbridge degree or NUS/SMU degree as long as you did decently in law school. If you are aiming higher than that (international firms/London/NY), then it's a completely different story of course.

I am an American JD and would like to move and practice law in Singapore. From my understanding I can't sit on Singapore bar unless I attend school there. What type of degree would I need? Upon completion of that degree, would I be able to secure employment in Singapore? Is there any discrimination against white people, professionally or otherwise?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am an American JD and would like to move and practice law in Singapore. From my understanding I can't sit on Singapore bar unless I attend school there. What type of degree would I need? Upon completion of that degree, would I be able to secure employment in Singapore? Is there any discrimination against white people, professionally or otherwise?

Can't answer your other questions, but I can answer your last question.

"Is there discrimination against white people, professionally or otherwise?"

It depends on who you talk to and how you view it.

Generally, the government here discriminates against its own citizens in many respects, and has sing the "foreign talent" tune for more than a decade.

The term "foreign talent" itself connotes discrimination. Think about it.

Search our newspaper archives for evidence.

Newspapers

As for the public, white people often come across to them, as smarter, more articulate and better looking. Most of them have a penchant for all things western. They look down on their own kind.

Welcome to Singapore! You'll live like a king here.

The term "foreign talent" implies "local idiots". All locals here are idiots! Hahahahaha...

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Can't answer your other questions, but I can answer your last question.

"Is there discrimination against white people, professionally or otherwise?"

It depends on who you talk to and how you view it.

Generally, the government here discriminates against its own citizens in many respects, and has sing the "foreign talent" tune for more than a decade.

The term "foreign talent" itself connotes discrimination. Think about it.

Search our newspaper archives for evidence.

Newspapers

As for the public, white people often come across to them, as smarter, more articulate and better looking. Most of them have a penchant for all things western. They look down on their own kind.

Welcome to Singapore! You'll live like a king here.

I'm betting that the high-flyer ang moh who cracked the windscreen with his fist in that road rage incident will get off with just a slap on his wrist, or maybe even a simple settlement.

Man in road rage incident is high-ranking RBS exec

Wonder what would've happened if it were an uneducated ah beng doing the road rage.

There was also this pub incident which a few ang mohs caused grievous injury to some local guys. Court seems to be dragging its feet in this case...

Totally agree that government discriminates against locals. I wanna migrate to Australia and come back here as a "foreign talent"!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Can't answer your other questions, but I can answer your last question.

"Is there discrimination against white people, professionally or otherwise?"

It depends on who you talk to and how you view it.

Generally, the government here discriminates against its own citizens in many respects, and has sing the "foreign talent" tune for more than a decade.

The term "foreign talent" itself connotes discrimination. Think about it.

Search our newspaper archives for evidence.

Newspapers

As for the public, white people often come across to them, as smarter, more articulate and better looking. Most of them have a penchant for all things western. They look down on their own kind.

Welcome to Singapore! You'll live like a king here.

There is reverse discrimination in Singapore. That is, the discrimination is against citizens!

In fact, the Singapore government has just acknowledged it and the front page (no less) of today's national papers reads:

"the Government has sent a strong signal to employers that Singapore will not stand for foreign managers who hire and promote their own kind, at the expense of qualified local candidates."

The government used to say "foreigners create jobs for Singaporeans" and now it's singing a totally opposite tune. It means the discrimination must be very serious indeed.

Moreover, it's quite a shameful thing to admit that there's reverse discrimination in Singapore - which is unheard of in other developed countries. It says much about how the government, the civil service, the unions and all related agencies have been so overly pro-foreigners in the past.

Today, we become the laughing stock of the world.

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[Hermit]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, in reading this thread i notice the word "rich" used quite often.

May I ask then is a 54 yr old GP with a net worth of 15 million sgd considered rich?

Dr GP. I am sure you know 15M net worth is considered rich by the man on the street.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There is reverse discrimination in Singapore. That is, the discrimination is against citizens!

In fact, the Singapore government has just acknowledged it and the front page (no less) of today's national papers reads:

"the Government has sent a strong signal to employers that Singapore will not stand for foreign managers who hire and promote their own kind, at the expense of qualified local candidates."

The government used to say "foreigners create jobs for Singaporeans" and now it's singing a totally opposite tune. It means the discrimination must be very serious indeed.

Moreover, it's quite a shameful thing to admit that there's reverse discrimination in Singapore - which is unheard of in other developed countries. It says much about how the government, the civil service, the unions and all related agencies have been so overly pro-foreigners in the past.

Today, we become the laughing stock of the world.

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

You mean the following headline? :
http://i43.tinypic.com/10x4hur.jpg