Admission to the Singapore Bar

The Preparatory Course leading to Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations (“Part B Course”) is conducted by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education for qualified persons under the Legal Profession Act (Chapter 161) seeking admission as advocates and solicitors of the Supreme Court of Singapore. 

Attendance at practice sessions, workshops and the Meet & Chat Session during the Course is compulsory and will be monitored. Practice sessions are generally on weekdays during business hours and in the evenings, and are subject to change at the request of facilitators.

The Part B Course is a full-time course. There are no breaks in the schedule of classes during the Part B Course.

A qualified person may not attend the Part B Course and concurrently serve his practice training period.

Applications for the 2021 Part B Course (commencing on 14 July 2021) have closed. Applications for the 2022 Part B Course are expected to open in mid-April 2022. 

• Aims of the Part B Course
• Employment During the Part B Course
• Attendance During the Part B Course
• Course Venues
• Course Fees
• Course Information
• Code of Conduct

The Part B Course aims to:-

1. train candidates in procedural law and practice in Singapore relevant to civil and criminal litigation and certain areas of practice; and

2. train candidates in the skills of the professional lawyer and provide opportunities to practise these skills under supervision, with particular emphasis on the core competencies expected of a newly-admitted lawyer.

The instructors in the Part B Course comprise mainly legal practitioners and Legal Service Officers and include judges, academics and other professionals.

Candidates of the Part B Course may not engage in any employment, whether full-time or part-time without the prior consent of the Director of the Part B Course. This prohibition does not apply to Legal Service Officers and persons serving their practice training period through working under the supervision of a qualifying relevant legal officer.

Attendance at Practice Sessions and workshops during the Part B Course is compulsory and will be monitored. There are no makeup classes. Please refer to paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Code of Conduct.

The Part B Course and Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations are conducted by the Institute and overseen by the Dean and Director. In general, lectures will be held at the Supreme Court Auditorium and practice sessions will be held at the Courts or at locations in law firms or other institutions as informed by the Institute. Details of other venues will be given to candidates accepted into the Part B Course when it commences. The dates, times and venues of the Practice Sessions are subject to the schedule of the facilitators of the Practice Sessions and while the list of venues is usually made known 1 week before each Practice Session, there is still a possibility of last minute changes. 

The Part B Course comprises mainly 7 compulsory subjects and 2 elective subjects. It also broadly covers some other areas of competency, knowledge or skills that are relevant to the practice of law.

The 7 compulsory subjects are:-

1. Civil Litigation Practice

2. Criminal Litigation Practice

3. Insolvency Law and Practice

4. Real Estate Practice

5. Family Law Practice

6. Ethics & Professional Responsibility

7. Professional Skills

The elective subjects are divided into Category A and Category B. Each candidate must complete one subject from each category.

The elective subjects offered in each category are: