Legal Aid Bureau is created

The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) is a government department that was set up on 1 July 1958 to provide legal aid to the needy.^[1] The framework for the LAB was based on an idea proposed by then Chief Minister David Marshall in the Legislative Assembly in 1955 when he called for the provision of free legal aid to the indigent so that everyone in Singapore would have equal access to the justice system. To deliver this service to the needy, Marshall proposed the setting up of a legal aid bureau to be staffed by qualified legal officers.^[2] His idea was adopted by the members of the Legislative Assembly, who passed the Legal Aid and Advice Ordinance in 1956.^[3] However, the LAB only began operation two years later on 1 July 1958 ^[4] as the government had to resolve a number of issues with the Singapore Bar Committee before the bureau could start functioning. Among the key issues that needed to be resolved were the scale of fees to be charged by lawyers called upon to represent litigants, and the provision of supervisory measures to determine whether cases had sufficient merits to be granted legal aid.^[5]

The LAB commenced operation as a department under the Ministry of Labour and Welfare. Housed at the former Ministry of Labour Building at Havelock Road, the bureau was headed by the Director of Legal Aid and staffed with legal officers.^[6] In the first year of its operation, the bureau provided legal assistance to 854 applicants and this number quickly increased to 3,259 applicants in 1960.^[7] Since its inception, the LAB has provided legal assistance for civil cases involving property disputes, medical negligence, industrial accidents and workmen’s compensation. Although the Legal Aid and Advice Ordinance, 1956, contained a provision that envisaged legal aid for criminal cases, it was never brought into effect. This is because the government would be put in an awkward position should it have to use public funds to defend those who have been prosecuted.^[8]

The LAB came under the purview of the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1964 and became a department of the Ministry of Law in 1984. The bureau was located at different premises before moving to its current location at the URA Centre at Maxwell Road in 1999. LAB continues to provide quality legal aid and advice to persons of limited means. The bureau is headed by a director who is assisted by other legal officers.^[9]

References
1. Legal Aid Bureau. (1959). Annual report 1959 (pp. 1–5). Singapore: Printed by Govt. Printer. Call no.: RCLOS 362.58 SIN.
2. Singapore. Legislative Assembly. Debates: Official Report. (1955, April 26). Debate on Governor’s address (Vol. 1, cols. 37–38). Singapore: Legislative Assembly. Call no.: RCLOS 328.5957 SIN.
3. Singapore. Legislative Assembly. Debates: Official Report. (1955, April 26). Legal Aid and Advice Bill (Vol. 1, cols. 1957–1971). Singapore: Legislative Assembly. Call no.: RCLOS 328.5957 SIN.
4. Cheong, C. & Lim, H. M. (2008). Access to justice: 50 years of legal aid (p. 41). Singapore: Legal Aid Bureau. Call no.: RSING 345.595701 CHE.
5. Legal aid shock. (1956, August 8). The Straits Times, p. 1; Dispute over lawyer’s fee holds up legal aid plan. (1958, January 2). The Straits Times, p. 8; Legal bill snags now overcome. (1958, March 20). The Singapore Free Press, p. 5; Legal aid problems ironed out now. (1958, May 2). The Singapore Free Press, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG .
6. Cheong, C., & Lim, H. M, 2008, p. 41; First step towards free legal aid. (1957, May 12). The Singapore Free Press, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Cheong, C. & Lim, H. M, 2008, p. 41;
8. Cheong, C. & Lim, H. M, 2008, p. 38–39; Tan, K. Y. L. (1999). The Singapore legal system (pp. 448–449). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 349.5957 SIN.
9. Legal Service Commission. (2013). Legal Aid Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2013 from Legal Service Commission website http://app.lsc.gov.sg/data/AR/2012/html/6-legal_aid_bureau.html