New training programme launched for young lawyers to stay ahead of AI curve, strengthen basic advocacy and drafting skills

In response to technological disruptions in the legal sector, a new training programme will equip young lawyers with skills and knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI), as well as strengthen proficiency in basic advocacy and drafting skills.

Set up by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), the Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme (JLP) offers structured training for young lawyers in both disputes and corporate practice areas.

Participants, for instance, can take courses on the ethics of generative AI, prompt engineering for lawyers and cross-boarder contract drafting, among others.

The programme was launched on Wednesday (May 21), with an opening conference held at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay.

It is open to lawyers with up to five years of post-qualification experience. In addition to the mandatory opening conference and masterclass, participants are required to complete 11 more modules within two years in order to obtain certification.

To earn certification in either the disputes or corporate track, lawyers are required to complete at least four modules that are specific to their chosen area of specialisation.

Most of the disputes modules will be led by current or former members of the judiciary as trainers or guest speakers.

In his opening address, SAL chief executive Yeong Zee Kin said the JLP will “bring structure to what was previously left to chance”, ensuring that lawyers learn fundamental legal skills in a holistic way.

Participating in this programme is voluntary but recommended. Lawyers can use SkillsFuture to offset fees, while some law firms have offered to sponsor their associates.

Disruptive shifts

The JLP chiefly seeks to address the disruptive impact of generative AI on the legal sector, Yeong told The Business Times in an interview before the launch.

The widespread accessibility of generative AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT has made it possible for anyone to generate simple contracts, or even seek advice on litigation strategy – even without formal legal training, noted Yeong.

“Because all these tools are coming on stream and clients have access to them, it means that clients’ expectations when they come to see a lawyer is going to be higher,” he added.

In this environment, lawyers need to move beyond basic information gathering to deliver greater value to their clients.

The JLP thus aims to plug this gap, by helping young lawyers keep abreast of AI advancements and strengthening their proficiency in basic legal skills.

Yeong views the programme as a bridge between the Bar exams and the specialist accreditation exams that senior lawyers take when seeking to specialise in a particular field.

Lawyers are required to take modules each year to fulfil continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, but these courses are usually ad hoc in nature, he said.

The JLP, on the other hand, provides a more “structured way for some of these very fundamental skills and very crucial domain knowledge” for young lawyers.

And since the programme is voluntary, Yeong hopes it attracts serious participants.

“If you want to just take enough courses to fill your CPD requirements, there are a lot of free and cheap courses,” he said. “This course is not for lawyers with that kind of mentality… it is meant for those who want to learn.”

Addressing attrition

While the JLP reduces attrition among young lawyers by focusing on career support, Yeong recognised that it does not resolve the perennial issue of the high work demands and long hours within the legal profession.

To this, he said SAL has other plans in the works, such as the legal profession symposium in July.

“That’s intended to address workplace issues, (such as) the changing expectations between different generations of lawyers, the interactions between juniors and seniors,” he said.

Workplace pressures could also be an obstacle for young lawyers, who have to juggle their personal development with tight work deadlines, to take up training courses.

Acknowledging this, Yeong said it would not be feasible to require all law firms to allow their associates time off to attend the programme.

What SAL has done is to get law firms to sign a training pledge to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the JLP and other training initiatives. Fifty-two legal organisations have signed this pledge.

SAL will work with the firms to ensure that they develop good practices over time, said Yeong.

It will also monitor the programme’s sign-up rates to see if its “message is not getting through”, he added. More than half of the 80 slots for the programme have been taken up thus far.

“Law is a knowledge-based profession, so the acquisition of knowledge will never end, because things change, business models change… new areas of law will come out,” said Yeong. “We need to continue sharpening our skills and learning new things.”

Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

New Law Academy programme will help young lawyers with ethical GenAI use, difficult clients