Non-lawyers can now boost legal knowledge for work
Working professionals can now build up their legal knowledge in industry-specific areas through courses at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Law Academy, which caters to both practising lawyers and non-lawyers.
The academy offers courses specialising in international arbitration, maritime law and criminal justice, but dean of NUS law school Simon Chesterman said courses in intellectual property and technology law will be introduced in the future.
"From brushing up on skills to learning about a new area of law, our aim is to provide a suite of modules for the working learner," said Professor Chesterman at the launch of the Law Academy yesterday at the NUS Kent Ridge campus.
"Our hope is that the NUS Law Academy will become a vital part of Singapore's legal ecosystem, offering a range of graduate certificates and diplomas to meet the challenges of the future economy."
Senior Minister of State for Law and Health Edwin Tong, who was the guest of honour, said legal training is valuable even for non-lawyers.
He said: "It trains the mind and helps one become more analytical."
On offer is a flexible graduate-level coursework programme that lets working adults attain a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or master's coursework degree.
The current courses target lawyers and other professionals involved in arbitration, master mariners and engineers, as well as law enforcement officers.
The academy worked with agencies such as SkillsFuture Singapore, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to offer the courses.
The launch of the NUS Law Academy took place at the graduation ceremony of 29 senior Home Team officers, who received certificates after completing a nine-month course in criminal justice.
The officers were the pioneer cohort of graduate certificate in criminal justice students, which was previously rolled out by the Faculty of Law at NUS and now comes under the NUS Law Academy.
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