Mohamad Shafee Khamis

Case Significance

Re Mohamad Shafee Khamis [2024] SGHC 274 was a decision of the General Division of the High Court delivered by Sundaresh Menon CJ on 28 October 2024, in Admission of Advocates and Solicitors No 336 of 2023 (Summonses Nos 966 and 1072 of 2024). The application, brought by Mohamad Shafee Khamis, was made under Section 12 of the Legal Profession Act 1966 and Rule 25 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011 for admission to the legal profession. In his judgment, Sundaresh Menon CJ observed that the court acts as the gatekeeper for admission to the profession, ensuring entrants possess not only competence but also the qualities of professionalism and probity necessary to maintain public trust in the justice system, and noted that recent jurisprudence on contested admission applications has focused on the applicant's character at the time of application, with the primary consideration being whether the applicant has been sufficiently rehabilitated, citing Re Wong Wai Loong Sean and other matters [2023] 4 SLR 541. The applicant had earlier faced ten charges under the Films Act. Allen & Gledhill LLP acted for the Law Society of Singapore, the Attorney-General's Chambers for the Attorney-General, and Avery Chong Law Practice for the Singapore Institute of Legal Education.