Businesses need to be concerned with both civil and criminal laws.

What Are Laws?
What Types Of Laws Should Businesses Be Concerned With?
Where Can I Find The Laws?
What Are The Courts In Singapore?
Other Legal Resources

What Are Laws?

• Laws are basically rules. What makes laws different from other types of rules is that they can be enforced in a court of law.
  
  
• For instance, customers who have not paid you can be forced by the courts to pay up, while thieves can be jailed for their crimes.
  
  
• Rules that deal with crimes are known as criminal laws. Rules that deal with the day-to-day interactions between individuals are known as civil laws.

back to top

What Types Of Laws Should Businesses Be Concerned With?

• Businesses need to be concerned with both civil and criminal laws. For instance:
  
  
  • A businessman who carries on a business without the necessary licences and permits may have committed a crime. His actions are punishable by criminal laws.
    
    
  • At the same time, if the act of not obtaining the necessary licences and permits causes his clients or suppliers to suffer losses, he may be sued by them for compensation under civil law.

back to top

Where Can I Find The Laws?

• Singapore Statutes Online (free)
  Complete collection of the latest written laws passed by Parliament. They are known as “Acts” and set out the broad principles of laws.
  
  
• Subsidiary Legislation (subscription/fees)
  Fully searchable online repository of Subsidiary legislation. Subsidiary legislations are “Regulations” that provide details on how Acts should be enforced.
  
  
• Court Decisions (subscription/fees)
  Judgments from the courts can be found in Legal Prospector 2 – a searchable online database. Laws resulting from court decisions are known as Case Law.  

back to top

What Are The Courts In Singapore?

• The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts.
  
  
• The Supreme Court is made up of the High Court and Court of Appeal.
  
  
• The Subordinate Courts comprise of the District Courts, Magistrates' Courts, Juvenile Courts, Coroners' Courts and Small Claims Tribunals.
  
  
• If you are suing someone or being sued, you have to bring your case before the right court.