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After cheating during the qualifying Bar exams in 2020, including a paper on ethics and professional responsibility, six trainee lawyers had their entrance into their legal profession delayed.

A grounds of decision on the case was released on Monday (April 18), noting that the six individuals would not be named, so they would not be “prejudiced in the long run.”

“In a profession in which every member must be like Caesar’s wife – beyond reproach – dishonesty is a big problem. But it would also be harsh to have one’s professional career ended before it began,” said Justice Choo Han Teck.

There were 26 applications for admission to the Bar, which Justice Choo heard last Wednesday (April 13).

For full admission to the legal profession, law graduates must pass a set of exams called Part B.

Law graduates from qualified overseas universities must also pass another conversion exam called Part A.

Those who pass must then not receive any objections to their applications from the Attorney-General (AG), Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) and Law Society of Singapore (LSS).

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During the hearing, the AG objected that six applicants were not fit to be admitted to the Bar because they had cheated on the exam Part B.

Five of the six communicated with each other and shared answers through WhatsApp in six of the papers.

The last applicant colluded with another examinee and cheated on three of the papers. The fellow examinee was not subject to any complaint, the grounds of decision noted.

However, the last applicant said that her answers were the same as the other examinee because they had studied together and shared study notes.

The SILE rejected her explanation because the similar answers in the cheated areas had the same pattern and errors.

The five individuals were required to retake the six papers, while the last one had to retake the entire Part B exam.

Justice Choo explained that, unlike the five, the last examinee denied her wrongdoing and protested her innocence.

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She only filed an affidavit apologizing for her conduct two days before the admission hearing.

All six individuals have since passed the needed exams.

The five trainee lawyers were granted a six-month adjournment for the Bar applications, while the last one was given a year’s adjournment.

Although the counsel for the AG noted that the extension period was too short for the individuals to reflect on the error of their ways, Justice Choo said that most of them had trained in big and renowned law firms.

Two had trained in foreign offshore firms in Singapore, while five were already working as legal executives.

Judges have a duty to prevent a wrongdoing “without breaking young backs in the process,” he added.

However, the revelations of cheating raised questions such as a “culture of cheating already brewing in the earlier stages of an applicant’s education.”

“This profession values honesty among the highest virtues, and it is best to avoid stumbling on account of a lack of it from the outset,” said Justice Choo.

“That is to say, even lawyers in the embryonic stage – law students – must be trustworthy.” /TISG

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ByHana O