In a move to encourage law firms to hire mid-career professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), a new professional conversion programme (PCP) will be launched to retrain such workers for paralegal or legal secretary jobs.

This was announced by Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong yesterday, during the debate on the Law Ministry's budget, when he spoke about efforts to strengthen Singapore's position as a legal services hub.

The growth of the legal sector will create good jobs for PMETs looking to switch industries, and the Government will help them seize these opportunities, said Mr Tong.

The three-month PCP, developed by the Law Society and Workforce Singapore (WSG), will cover classroom training, e-learning as well as on-the-job training.

Applications for the programme will close on May 31 this year.

Employers will be eligible to receive funding and course fee subsidies by WSG upon fulfilment of certain requirements.

Noting the importance that paralegals and support services play in Singapore's legal industry, Mr Tong said the Government will continue to work with relevant industry stakeholders to explore ways to support this segment of the legal sector.

Meanwhile, law firms will also get help in using technology to improve productivity and the quality of legal services, through a Technology Innovation Roadmap, he said.

Among other things, the road map includes plans to support the development of cutting-edge legal technology and reform legal education so that future legal professionals are "tech-ready", he added.

It comes after the Ministry of Law held consultations with more than 80 stakeholders, including law firms, companies, law schools, research institutes and other government agencies. More details will be announced later this year.

Mr Tong also announced yesterday that the Law Ministry will be introducing a framework for Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs) for certain categories of proceedings, after reviewing the issue.

Under such agreements, which are currently prohibited here, lawyers can agree to get paid only if their client's claim is successful.

Noting that such agreements are already allowed in other jurisdictions, Mr Tong said the new framework could level the playing field for lawyers and firms here vis-a-vis foreign lawyers.

He also said the ministry is studying whether allowing CFAs for a wider range of proceedings can further promote access to justice.