ABSTRACT

The concept of pro bono has been established in a variety of countries and has developed a distinctive discourse. Aspects of this discourse have also begun to impact other areas of the law, such as mitigation in professional misconduct. However, problems can arise if aspects of one discourse are imported into others. Using the Singapore law of professional misconduct as a case study, this article utilizes concepts from discourse analysis to understand how discourse regarding lawyers can be removed from its original context and inserted into another. The article identifies two examples of pro bono discourse in the mitigation of professional misconduct, that of distinguishing law-related public service from other charitable acts and distinguishing genuine pro bono services from self-serving commercial activity. The article investigates the coherence of this pro bono discourse in the field of professional misconduct and concludes that some pro bono discourse fits its new context while others do not. The article argues for an increased awareness of how lawyer discourse potentially impacts professional regulation.

摘要

无偿服务的概念已在多个国家确立，并形成了独特的话语。这种话语的各个方面也开始影响法律的其他领域，例如减轻职业不当行为。但是，如果将一种话语的某些方面引入到其他话语中，就会出现问题。本文以新加坡的职业不端行为法为案例研究，利用话语分析中的概念来了解如何将有关律师的话语从其原始语境中移除并插入到另一个语境中。本文确定了减轻专业不当行为的公益话语的两个例子，即区分与法律相关的公共服务与其他慈善行为，以及将真正的公益服务与自我服务的商业活动区分开来。本文调查了这种无偿话语在职业不当行为领域的连贯性，并得出结论，一些无偿话语适合其新背景，而另一些则不适合。文章主张提高对律师话语如何潜在影响专业监管的认识。