SCCA, GCAI sign MOU to boost India-Singapore legal cooperation

The Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA) and the General Counsels’ Association of India (GCAI) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen ties between the in-house legal communities of Singapore and India.

The MOU was signed on 28 August at GCAI’s “India-Singapore Legal Bridge: Enabling Growth, Investment and Effective Dispute Resolution in a Changing Global Economy” event, held on the sidelines of Singapore Convention Week.

The event brought together legal and business leaders to discuss the India-Singapore-ASEAN investment landscape and the role of the legal profession in supporting cross-border growth. The event was attended by Supreme Court Justice Manmohan, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Singapore Sudhi Chowdhary and Drew & Napier Chairman Jimmy Yim, among others.

The partnership aims to focus on knowledge exchange, professional development and greater cross-border engagement between in-house counsel in the two jurisdictions.

One of the key initiatives of the patnership is a proposed cross-border immersion programme jointly developed by SCCA Academy and GCAI. The programme is intended to give local and international students practical exposure to in-house legal practice, including legal technology and artificial intelligence, negotiation and forensic investigations.

The programme will also involve experienced in-house counsel and industry experts, allowing students to gain first-hand insight into the skills and challenges facing modern legal teams.

The two associations will also explore ways to advance professional standards for in-house counsel and promote greater alignment of those standards across jurisdictions.

SCCA president Daniel Choo held that the partnership would help strengthen ties between the two countries’ in-house legal communities.

“Singapore and India share deep and longstanding ties, and we believe there is tremendous potential in bringing our in-house legal communities even closer together. We are grateful to GCAI for their partnership and, importantly, for sharing our belief in the power of collaboration to strengthen and advance the in-house legal profession,” he said.

Choo added that the partnership could help prepare lawyers for changes brought by technology, regulation and new business models.

“Ultimately, we hope to give the next generation of legal talent greater exposure to the realities of in-house legal practice, while ensuring that today’s practitioners continue to evolve alongside the businesses they serve. As technology, regulation and new business models reshape the legal landscape, building a profession that is globally connected, adaptable and future-ready has never been more important,” noted Choo.

GCAI co-founder Sanjeev Gemawat described the MOU as a “historic beginning” for closer ties between the legal communities of India and Singapore.

“Through closer institutional collaboration, we have an opportunity to help build a stronger and more integrated legal ecosystem across India, Singapore and the wider region—one that enables businesses to invest with confidence, navigate cross-border opportunities and resolve disputes effectively,” he said.

GCAI co-founder Akhil Prasad observed that the partnership would help prepare young lawyers for increasingly complex cross-border business.

“Economic growth and the increasing complexity of cross-border business will require a new generation of lawyers equipped with skills that go far beyond traditional legal education,” he noted.

He further added that the collaboration would give young lawyers and law students exposure to areas including AI, negotiation, investigations and complex commercial problem-solving.

The MOU is intended to form the basis for a long-term partnership between the two associations, with further details of the proposed initiatives to be announced later.