Legal speak simplified
Chipping in to help at the Law Awareness Week were NUS Law student volunteers (from left): Bryan Fang, Thomas Ang, Nicholas Ng, President of Law Society Mr Thio Shen Yi, Jessica, Kenji Ong and Amelia Chew
About 100 students from the NUS Faculty of Law (NUS Law) participated in an initiative as part of Law Awareness Week launched by Senior Minister of State for Law Indranee Rajah on 22 July. For the first time, the Law Society of Singapore and Community Development Councils (CDCs) organised a series of law talks in all districts in Singapore to educate the public on basic legal knowledge related to family law, end-of-life issues, consumer protection and protection from harassment.
Year 1 Law student, Tan Luoyi, explained that after several meetings with the Law Society and CDCs, two areas on how student volunteers could help were identified – publishing the Know the Law booklet and recruiting volunteers to provide manpower for the talks. For the booklet, the students set out to explain and tailor legal jargon in simple terms for the general public's consumption, while for the latter they generated publicity to attract student volunteers, especially among the freshmen.
At the law talks organised by the South West CDC, the student volunteers helped out with registration, assisted the guest speakers during the question-and-answer sessions, and interacted with the participants.
"I enjoyed seeing how the guest speakers (the lawyers) bridge the gap between the intricacies of law and the participants' understanding, explained Luoyi. "It wasn't about how much I could contribute as a volunteer myself, rather it was seeing the public's appreciation of the law as well as knowing their rights and realising the need to plan ahead.
For Year 2 Law student Jessica Mau, the opportunity to help people from all walks of life, attracted her to participate in the Law Awareness Week. Together with her team mates, they liaised with Central CDC district personnel and ensured that each talk had sufficient volunteers. She also partnered a fellow schoolmate to produce a specially designed tee-shirt for the volunteers, sponsored by the Law Society.
At a talk on family law organised by the Central CDC at Radin Mas Community Club, Jessica observed how lawyer Ms Shone Aye Cheng handled sensitive issues with "grace and wit which allayed the audience's concerns. Several members of the public even approached Ms Shone after the talk to thank her.
"She turned a touchy topic into a light-hearted exchange with the residents, delivered the grave issues with tact and had a knack at making people feel at ease, recalled Jessica. She added that it was heartening to know that the residents benefitted from the talk and it was very noble of the lawyers to offer their time and serve the public without any charges.
Jessica had started volunteering for pro bono projects since her first year, before the mandatory requirement kicked in. She assisted the presiding judge as a Court Facilitator at the Subordinate Courts, briefing litigants and explaining procedural matters to their family members.
"My time there injected a sense of reality and humanity into my budding days as a law student, and equipped me with empathy and sensitivity – two values which are very important when approaching others, she said.
Since May 2014, NUS Law students have been required to complete a minimum of 20 hours of pro bono work for projects approved by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education. Law students participate in a wide range of pro bono opportunities, including legal research projects on grey areas such as those associated with sex workers and migrant workers; and holding workshops for foreign domestic workers or at-risk youth groups.
