Re Lee Jun Ming Chester: Admission as Advocate and Solicitor Despite Past Offense
The High Court of Singapore heard three applications for admission as Advocates and Solicitors. The Attorney-General, the Law Society of Singapore, and the Singapore Institute of Legal Education did not object to the applications. The court, after considering the circumstances of each applicant, allowed the applications, finding each applicant to be a fit and proper person for admission. The cases involved a prior criminal offense (upskirting) and academic offenses (self-plagiarism and plagiarism).
1. Case Overview
1.1 Court
General Division of the High Court1.2 Outcome
Applications Allowed
1.3 Case Type
Others (Legal Profession — Admission)
1.4 Judgment Type
Grounds of Decision
1.5 Jurisdiction
Singapore
1.6 Description
Applications for admission as Advocates and Solicitors were allowed despite past offenses, after considering rehabilitation and circumstances.
1.7 Decision Date
2. Parties and Outcomes
| Party Name | Role | Type | Outcome | Outcome Type | Counsels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Lee Jun Ming | Applicant | Individual | Application Allowed | Won | Isaac Tito Shane, Sindhu Nair d/o Muralidharan Nair, Lim Chu Yech, Mathavan Devadas |
| Chong Weng Teng | Applicant | Individual | Application Allowed | Won | Toh Wei Yi |
| Lin Shuang Ju | Applicant | Individual | Application Allowed | Won | Daniel Loh Weijie |
3. Judges
| Judge Name | Title | Delivered Judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Sundaresh Menon | Chief Justice | Yes |
4. Counsels
| Counsel Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Isaac Tito Shane | Tito Isaac & Co LLP |
| Sindhu Nair d/o Muralidharan Nair | Tito Isaac & Co LLP |
| Lim Chu Yech | Tito Isaac & Co LLP |
| Mathavan Devadas | Tito Isaac & Co LLP |
| Toh Wei Yi | Harry Elias Partnership LLP |
| Daniel Loh Weijie | BR Law Corporation |
| Jeyendran Jeyapal | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Pesdy Tay | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Avery Chong | Singapore Institute of Legal Education |
| Sanjiv Kumar Rajan | Allen & Gledhill LLP |
| Mehaerun Simaa d/o Ravichandran @ Raqiib Chandra | Allen & Gledhill LLP |
| Brinden Anandakumar | Fullerton Law Chambers LLC |
| Cui Shenzhi | Fullerton Law Chambers LLC |
4. Facts
- Chester Lee Jun Ming recorded upskirt videos and was convicted under s 509 of the Penal Code.
- Chong Weng Teng reused portions of a research paper previously submitted for another module.
- Lin Shuang Ju was accused of plagiarizing an article by Mr. Andrew B. F. Carnabuci.
- Lin Shuang Ju filed her first affidavit before being informed of the plagiarism allegation.
- The Stakeholders accepted that Ms. Lin's plagiarism arose not out of a lack of academic integrity but out of a fundamental misunderstanding of the rules of attribution in academic publications.
5. Formal Citations
- Re Lee Jun Ming Chester and other matters, Admission of Advocates and Solicitors Nos 258, 363 and 370 of 2023, [2023] SGHC 282
6. Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Chester Lee Jun Ming recorded two upskirt videos. | |
| Chester Lee Jun Ming pleaded guilty to insulting the modesty of a woman. | |
| Chong Weng Teng attended a plagiarism inquiry. | |
| Chong Weng Teng was informed of penalty for academic offence. | |
| Chong Weng Teng enrolled in an additional module. | |
| Chong Weng Teng completed the additional module. | |
| Chong Weng Teng graduated. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju was approached to write an article on pet trusts. | |
| The Article went through multiple rounds of substantive editing. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju chose the title for the Article. | |
| The Article was published in the Singapore Law Journal (Lexicon). | |
| Attorney-General’s Chambers received an e-mail alleging plagiarism. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju was told of plagiarism accusation. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju met with SMU to discuss the allegation. | |
| SMU's internal investigations were completed. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju wrote a letter of apology to Mr Carnabuci. | |
| Lin Shuang Ju was informed of the AG's intention to apply for adjournment. | |
| Mr Carnabuci replied to Ms Lin, accepting the apology. | |
| Ms Ong wrote to AGC explaining SMU’s findings. | |
| A one-month adjournment of AAS 370 was granted. | |
| Ms Ong pointed out issues with Ms Lin's paper. | |
| Ms Ong informed Ms Lin that SMU had decided to retract the article. | |
| Court heard and allowed the Applications. | |
| Detailed grounds for decision provided. |
7. Legal Issues
- Fitness and Propriety for Admission to the Bar
- Outcome: The court found each applicant to be a fit and proper person for admission, considering their individual circumstances and rehabilitation efforts.
- Category: Substantive
- Sub-Issues:
- Rehabilitation of character
- Academic integrity
- Disclosure of prior misconduct
- Related Cases:
- [2023] SGHC 129
- [2022] SGHC 237
- [2023] SGHC 59
- [2022] 4 SLR 482
8. Remedies Sought
- Admission as Advocate and Solicitor
9. Cause of Actions
- No cause of actions
10. Practice Areas
- Regulatory Law
11. Industries
- Legal Services
12. Cited Cases
| Case Name | Court | Affirmed | Citation | Jurisdiction | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re Suria Shaik Aziz | High Court | Yes | [2023] SGHC 129 | Singapore | Cited for the principles regarding the circumstances the court will examine in admission applications where there have been incidents of misconduct. |
| Re Wong Wai Loong Sean and other matters | High Court | Yes | [2022] SGHC 237 | Singapore | Cited for the principles regarding the circumstances the court will examine in admission applications where there have been incidents of misconduct. |
| Re Tay Jie Qi and another matter | High Court | Yes | [2023] SGHC 59 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that a significant period of time since the misconduct may cause the latter two factors to take on particular importance in helping the court to determine whether any further deferment of the applicant’s admission is necessary. |
| Law Society of Singapore v CNH | Court of Three Judges | Yes | [2022] 4 SLR 482 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that sexual offences inevitably and invariably entail a severe violation of the dignity and bodily integrity of the victim, often causing deep-seated trauma. |
13. Applicable Rules
| Rule Name |
|---|
| Rule 25 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011 |
14. Applicable Statutes
| Statute Name | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Section 12 of the Legal Profession Act 1966 | Singapore |
| s 509 of the Penal Code (Cap 224, 2008 Rev Ed) | Singapore |
15. Key Terms and Keywords
15.1 Key Terms
- Advocate and Solicitor
- Admission
- Fitness and Propriety
- Rehabilitation
- Academic Integrity
- Plagiarism
- Self-Plagiarism
- Disclosure
- Character References
15.2 Keywords
- admission
- advocate
- solicitor
- legal profession
- Singapore
- plagiarism
- rehabilitation
- ethics
16. Subjects
- Legal Ethics
- Professional Responsibility
17. Areas of Law
- Legal Profession
- Admission of Advocates and Solicitors