SINGAPORE - Lawyers from some top firms in China on Monday (Nov 19) started a month-long attachment in Singapore for the first time to better understand the business prospects that each country offers.
The Singapore-Shaanxi Study Visit Programme will see these 23 lawyers from six leading law firms in China's Shaanxi Province visiting various government agencies.
They will also be attached to law practices here, and each will be assigned a Singapore lawyer of the same seniority and practice area.
In a media statement on Monday, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said this attachment is meant to help Chinese lawyers understand Singapore's potential as a business hub for Chinese firms.
It will also help Singapore lawyers connect with opportunities in China and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Senior Minister of State for Law and Health Edwin Tong said legal services is a key area where the two countries can collaborate to support this key initiative.
He said: "The one-month attachment of Chinese lawyers to Singapore opens a new dimension to our legal services cooperation, beyond the G to G to the B to B.
"It provides an opportunity for lawyers from both countries to explore how they can work together to jointly seize opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative."
MinLaw said the Chinese lawyers will spend the first week visiting agencies such as the Economic Development Board, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Stock Exchange.
This will give the lawyers a better understanding of Singapore's legal system.
It will also help them understand how Chinese companies can set up their overseas operations, raise capital and restructure, run infrastructure projects, manage intellectual property and resolve disputes in and from Singapore.
For the following three weeks, these lawyers will be attached to various law practices here to study how these firms operate.
Each of them will be assigned a Singapore lawyer of the same seniority and practice area from 10 participating Singapore law practices.
Mr Loh Kia Meng, partner and chief operating officer of Dentons Rodyk and Davidson LLP, one of the participating local firms, called this attachment a "useful initiative", as lawyers here will have the opportunity to interact with key lawyers from Shaanxi to understand their culture and the way they provide their legal services to their clients.
"It is also a great opportunity for us to find out whether there are opportunities for us to work together to service our respective clients," he said.
