Obtained on March 4, 2021, an unprecedented order for the administration of the estate of a person who died in bankruptcy and the appointment of private trustees in bankruptcy under the new Insolvency Reorganization and Dissolution Act (IRDA). J: A lawyer with whom I did an internship in 3rd year told me that the realities of the practice would reduce my idealism to 1 CLAS case per year. My experience in Kibera was a Les Misérables moment for me and after that experience, I gave up on my dream of joining the UN. Instead, I decided to dedicate my time and legal skills to pro bono work and EU law in Singapore. I was interested in marriage and criminal affairs and wanted to make a difference in the lives of my clients through my work. Hair and Beauty: Use Keune HairCosmetics Singapore J: Hannah Yeoh (Speaker of Selangor Parliament), for the courage to stand up and be counted. She cites a recent example of a client who wanted the court to appoint him as his mother`s assistant – meaning he would make decisions on her behalf if she became mentally disabled. Although he was found to have an annual disposable income of $11,000 due to the size of his apartment (which prevented him from receiving legal aid), he had six siblings with schizophrenia to care for and only brought home $1,300 a month to work in pest control. Simply filing an application with the court would have cost him a month`s salary. June resumed her case and eventually waived the legal fees.
To learn more in this series about starting your own law firm, click here. Member, Law Society of SingaporeMember, Singapore Academy of Law Super She-ro #2: This woman provides legal aid to the underprivileged June (J): Let me start with a bit of background. I applied to study law with the clear goal of serving the underprivileged. I was a little interested in women`s rights and migrant workers` rights, and I was thinking of joining UNDP or the ILO. LOTL: Name your greatest success since Eden Law was founded. In June, the law should still be a way for them to give back to those who need help the most. Although June has experience in civil and commercial litigation, she is now primarily involved in marital disputes – from divorce for wealthy clients and the man in the street, to guardianship, cross-border divorce and custody issues. In particular, June has a keen interest in matrimonial issues involving disadvantaged women, particularly foreign spouses living in Singapore and abroad. LOTL: Where were you when you came up with the idea for Eden Law? We were also proud to announce that our very first intern, Loh Ya Xin, was called to the bar via Zoom. Together with our other two interns, Siew Jowen and Liang Liwen, we hope to train more lawyers to be passionate but practical in their service to the community. J: What I learned throughout the process was to trust God in all things. My husband, parents, and other elderly practitioners are also excellent sources of wisdom.
Call Abraham Vergis, who believed in the Law of Eden from day one, and Lim Ker Sheon and Greg Vijayendran, that they are such pillars of support! I spent most of my childhood in developing countries and in Grade 2 I did an internship at a company in Kenya that took me to criminal courts in the heart of Kibera, the largest slum in the world. The courtrooms were so small and there were so many accused that they flocked from the dock to the public gallery. I have attended hearings on criminal mentions and watched in horror as the unrepresented defendants were sentenced to a maximum of 7 years in prison for providing basic necessities such as bread, batteries, cooking oil, etc. (Kenya has the same Indian penal code as Singapore, and defendants in Singapore are usually sentenced to a few months in prison for a crime of theft from the apartment.) With the poor prisons, I knew that these people would probably die in prison – simply because they had stolen a loaf of bread to feed their children. Seow Ling believes that legal representation should be accessible to every individual. It is doing its part to achieve this goal by providing equitable, affordable and sustainable access to its legal services. Retrospective authorization obtained by the Court of Appeal to use documents and information obtained in the course of the review of a court debtor proceeding in a devastating separate case against an executor. This landmark decision established a comprehensive framework for the relevant factors to determine whether the riddick principle can be circumvented. (Jane Rebecca Ong v. Lim Lie Hoa and Other Appeals and Other Questions [2021] SGCA 63) J: Under the blanket in bed, at home. I stayed there for two whole days until I decided to practice my mustard seed of faith and take the plunge. I was afraid I wouldn`t have enough work to pay the rent for my office! The company works on a fixed fee model – unlike most law firms, which charge based on the amount of work.
When more clients in need are involved, June even charges a fee based on their monthly salaries. To keep costs manageable, June used legal technology, which means the operation is largely paperless and her employees can work from anywhere — in a hospital, shelter, or even overseas. As we are more concerned about ensuring that our clients receive the legal assistance they need, we do not compromise on the quality of our legal representation. We will take your case to court if necessary, or we will help you resolve your case through negotiation and mediation if that is the way to go. We believe that our clients` financial resources should not be an obstacle to justice. Today is International Women`s Day, a day when we celebrate the success of women in society. June firmly believes that doing good and living a decent life are not mutually exclusive concepts. As a litigator, she is known to be a direct shooter – both in court and with her clients. June Lim has taken matters into her own hands to bring about change for men and women who are struggling to get legal advice and representation.
June volunteers for legal services at the Law Society`s Pro Bono Services Office, the Criminal Legal Aid Plan, the Legal Aid Office and the Community Justice Centre. It all comes from June`s desire to find a sustainable way to help those who need it most. This was first triggered during an internship in Kenya in 2006, when she visited the criminal courts of the country`s largest slum, Kibera. What stayed with her was the fact that these people were poor on the docks and risked long prison sentences for stealing basic necessities such as a bag of rice or a pack of batteries. She realized that things weren`t that different at home. « We have parts of society in Singapore – including abused women or migrant workers – who can`t tap into legal resources, » she said. In Singapore, civil legal aid is only available to PRs in Singapore and Singapore with annual disposable incomes of $10,000 or less. According to June, this creates a « sandwich class » – a group of people who don`t meet legal aid criteria, but can`t afford a lawyer. Seow Ling is fluent in Mandarin and represents many Chinese-speaking clients, including the elderly, Chinese and Taiwanese nationals in their wedding affairs. We will do everything in our power to resolve our clients` cases in a timely manner, whether through alternative dispute resolution or through the courts. June always knew there would be risks in starting alone and was willing to go back to a larger law firm if things didn`t work out. But after a year, Eden Law had made a profit.
June now has four people working for her, and her game has paid off. « I was a commercial litigator, and I guess I could have stayed at a bigger firm and made more money, but at the end of the day, it`s about having a career that`s right for you. We also believe in equipping litigants with the legal know-how to handle their own cases. To this end, we organize numerous trainings and seminars throughout the year. J: Be focused and read a lot. After studying law, legal knowledge is assumed. Member, The Law Society of SingaporeMember, Singapore Academy of LawMember, Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) CommitteeMember, Law Awareness CommitteeChairman, Family Justice Support Scheme (FJSS) CommitteeWelcome, CLASAssigned Solicitor, Legal Aid BureauSenior Justice Project Judge, Community Justice Centre Although it was difficult for people to come together, our lawyers still managed to conduct over 20 legal awareness conversations via Zoom with our Partners of social service providers.