Shocking, We Have Too Many Lawyers, How Come?

Froggy · Aug 17, 2014

I was told before many lawyers don't practice and did something else after they became lawyers so how did we end up with too many lawyers? Something fishy no?

Singapore is facing a glut of lawyers: Shanmugam
Shanmugam urges law students to temper expectations or pursue other career choices

Published on Aug 17, 2014 7:44 AM
By Feng Zengkun

"The study of law provides an excellent training of the mind, so I don't want to be seen as discouraging people... but you have to have a realistic understanding of the market, the economy, the total structure," said Mr Shanmugam. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Over just four years up to March last year, the number of practising lawyers here leapt by nearly 25 per cent to more than 4,400.

Another 1,500 are expected to join them in the next three years. And there has been a sharp rise in those heading overseas to study law. In Britain alone, the number of Singapore law students more than doubled from 510 to 1,142 between 2010 and last year.

Law Minister K. Shanmugam dished out these numbers yesterday as he warned that Singapore could soon have more lawyers than jobs for them all.

He urged law students to temper career and salary expectations, and maybe even consider other jobs.

KNNBXCB · Aug 17, 2014

Too many indians around. Same for accountants. Too many PRCs around.

po2wq · Aug 17, 2014

joetys said:
... He urged law students to ... consider other jobs ...

ya ... bcum hawkers ...

Froggy · Aug 17, 2014

All these social engineering since the birth of this country after 49 years we still end up like this? Are sinkies missing something?

quelone · Aug 17, 2014

This situation does not look good because Singapore may become like the US where there are a glut of lawyers but little work to go round. In order to drum up business these lawyers encourage lawsuits and this ultimately drives up the cost of insurance and businesses. All these higher costs will be passed on to the consumers like us.

prancku · Aug 17, 2014

joetys said:
All these social engineering since the birth of this country after 49 years we still end up like this? Are sinkies missing something?

Each profession will take its turn in facing the same admistratively created crisis. The engineers, accountants, PMETs faced theirs just less than ten years ago. It is now the turn of the lawyers....song boh???

Others like medical practitioners, architects, etc and eventually down the line, even hawkers, taxi drivers, security will get taste the same medicine. :mad:

Good, the more such screw ups the better...we know what to do..... :biggrin:

Leongsam · Aug 17, 2014

Demand and supply is always slightly out of phase. Don't worry about it. The right balance will be achieved over time.

roastgoose · Aug 17, 2014

Leongsam said:
Demand and supply is always slightly out of phase. Don't worry about it. The right balance will be achieved over time.

Somebody somewhere should try to give some kind of heads up so that the lead and lag times dont vary too much.

Leongsam · Aug 17, 2014

roastgoose said:
Somebody somewhere should try to give some kind of heads up so that the lead and lag times dont vary too much.

It's not possible because choosing to study law is a personal thing based upon the perceived notion that it will be lucrative and rewarding career.

However the lead time between making that decision and graduating is almost half a decade so the "somebody somewhere" would have to be a mind reader a fortune teller and a great persuader all rolled into one.

If you think you have what it takes, you're welcome to give it a go. Please advise sinkies what courses to take today that will be in hot demand in 2019.

roastgoose · Aug 17, 2014

Leongsam said:
It's not possible because choosing to study law is a personal thing based upon the perceived notion that it will be lucrative and rewarding career.

However the lead time between making that decision and graduating is almost half a decade so the "somebody somewhere" would have to be a mind reader a fortune teller and a great persuader all rolled into one.

If you think you have what it takes, you're welcome to give it a go. Please advise sinkies what courses to take today that will be in hot demand in 2019.

The idea behind this is not meant to regulate the numbers in a hard way. As you say it is nigh impossible to do that as those with the passion and those who think the job is going to be lucrative will never be deterred from enrolling. The heads up is just meant to be a projection of the impending numbers situation some years down the road. Surely there could be some kind of broad projection.

Leongsam · Aug 17, 2014

roastgoose said:
The heads up is just meant to be a projection of the impending numbers situation some years down the road. Surely there could be some kind of broad projection.

I honestly think that in this day and age or rapid technological and social change, it is pretty much impossible to know what the world will be like in 5 year's time.

If I had told you in 2008 that Nokia and Blackberry would be dead and buried by 2012, I would have been laughed out of town.

roastgoose · Aug 17, 2014

Leongsam said:
I honestly think that in this day and age or rapid technological and social change, it is pretty much impossible to know what the world will be like in 5 year's time.

If I had told you in 2008 that Nokia and Blackberry would be dead and buried by 2012, I would have been laughed out of town.

Technology does advance very quickly for sure and predicting what is going to happen even in the medium term is very difficult but with certain professional jobs like lawyers and doctors the numbers should be easier to forecast.

Agoraphobic · Aug 17, 2014

I think is because of the attraction to earning capacity. A colleaque of mine and me were discussing how we ended up with engineering degrees and we are not doing engineering but sales, I told him because my mother wanted me, her son, to become an engineer as she worked in an American MNC where engineers were big time, and made lots of money. My colleague went into engineering because he thought they they earned lots of money. Neither of us like the field we studied, and he wished he studied law and became a lawyer. His story - all the big deals depend on lawyers. Some move on to politics, and are the best suited to become politicians.

Myself, I think people if they can, ideally should be in the field they love, and work with passion. Then whatever they do, will be good. The money will then come automatically becuse customers will be satisfied with the service/work they receive. It is pointless just going where the money is. At the end of the day, the pond becomes crowded, and if one doesn't like the work, it sucks to do it everyday.

Cheers!

joetys said:
.................. how did we end up with too many lawyers? Something fishy no?

zhihau · Aug 17, 2014

joetys said:
He urged law students to temper career and salary expectations, and maybe even consider other jobs.

the Ministry of Education is short of English teachers, come, join the MOE :biggrin:

Leongsam · Aug 17, 2014

roastgoose said:
Technology does advance very quickly for sure and predicting what is going to happen even in the medium term is very difficult but with certain professional jobs like lawyers and doctors the numbers should be easier to forecast.

Technology influences these numbers so the forecasts can never be accurate. Besides a gloomy forecast can actually result in a severe shortage.

kohpc · Aug 17, 2014

zhihau said:
the Ministry of Education is short of English teachers, come, join the MOE

Sources have told me that we have students on scholarships in UK Universities such as King's College to address the teacher shortage in this subject.

po2wq · Aug 17, 2014

Agoraphobic said:
Myself, I think people if they can, ideally should be in the field they love, and work with passion. Then whatever they do, will be good. The money will then come automatically becuse customers will be satisfied with the service/work they receive. It is pointless just going where the money is ...

sinkies dunno wat dey luv ... so dey oni go 2 where ze moni is ...

zhihau · Aug 17, 2014

kohpc said:
Sources have told me that we have students on scholarships in UK Universities such as King's College to address the teacher shortage in this subject.

Excellent! Make sure they speak Queen's English :biggrin:

jw5 · Aug 17, 2014

My kaki called to tell me the same thing. :biggrin:

kohpc said:
Sources have told me that we have students on scholarships in UK Universities such as King's College to address the teacher shortage in this subject.

kohpc · Aug 17, 2014

zhihau said:
Excellent! Make sure they speak Queen's English

Without a f'kin doubt.

Shocking, We Have Too Many Lawyers, How Come?

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