The Singapore legal industry is seeing exciting and unprecedented developments. The country’s access to global business and financial activities, and the complexity and ever evolving nature of related transactional work, mean that the legal industry has to increase its sophistication of approaches and techniques continuously in order to be the custom tailor of high quality legal advice and services. Litigation lawyers are also engaging increasingly in alternative dispute resolution methods, in particular, arbitration and mediation. While the Academy recognises the global realities of practice and is undertaking new initiatives to promote the interests of the segment of law firms with global outreach, it continues to devote its resources to develop the domestic sector - the bedrock of the profession - which caters to the Singaporean in the street, practising in the traditional fields of family law, criminal matters and conveyancing. The Legal Industry Cluster of the Academy undertakes the following functions: (i) Mapping the strategic direction of the Academy and overseeing the implementation and review of the Academy’s approved strategic plans. (ii) Promoting the international profile of Singapore law, and Singapore as a legal solutions hub. (iii) Developing Singapore as a centre for dispute resolution in general and the Singapore Mediation Centre in particular as a regional centre for mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution services. (iv) Nurturing camaraderie and esprit de corps amongst Academy members by facilitating the discussion of professional affairs issues about the law, administration of justice and legal profession and by creating networking opportunities for the Academy members. (v) Providing recognition and accreditation of excellence through the appointment of Senior Counsel and grant of scholarships and other awards. (vi) Appointing Commissioners for Oaths and Notaries Public, and rendering authentication services for the signatures of Notaries Public.