Singapore abolishes conveyancing scale fees

Ironically, the members of the Law Society of Singapore would still like to have the Conveyancing Practice Law Committee issue fee guidelines. Different modes of charging, types of conveyancing transactions and the sizes of firms were considered. The guidelines therefore represent an attempt to help the solicitor and client reach an agreement as to what is a fair and reasonable fee given the circumstances of the transfer.

These circumstances include:

• the importance of the matter to the client,
  
• the skill, labour, specialised knowledge and responsibility involved on the part of the solicitor,
  
• the complexity of the matter and the difficulty or novelty of the question raised,
  
• the amount or value of the property,
  
• the time expended by the solicitor,
  
• the number and importance of the documents prepared or perused, without regard to the length, and
  
• the place where, and the circumstances under which, the services or business or any part thereof are rendered or transacted.