In Choo Cheng Tong Wilfred v Phua Swee Khiang [2021] SGHC 154, the Singapore High Court rejected the Plaintiff’s claim for alleged unpaid ‘consultancy fees’ of over S$2 million for work done over a 16-year period for breach of the Legal Profession Act. This is the first reported decision where the Singapore High Court has struck down a claim for fees for work done in breach of the Legal Profession Act.
This decision clearly marks out the boundaries of what constitutes regulated work under the Legal Profession Act and the Court’s focus on the substance (rather than the form) of the work done. The guidance in this decision is significant and timely as the legal industry enters into transition, with an increasing number of alternative legal service providers entering the market to provide legal services to the general public.
Jansen Chow and Ang Leong Hao of Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP successfully represented the 2nd Defendant in this decision.
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