Law Minister K. Shanmugam's recent warning that Singapore could have too many lawyers has become a hot talking point among SMU and NUS undergraduates. Every year, about 400 local law graduates, including 150 from SMU, apply for about 500 training contracts offered by law firms. The six-month contracts give would-be lawyers the real-world training required of them before they are called to the Bar. But the Law Ministry noted that NUS and SMU graduates have "done well" in getting training contracts. Between 2009 and last year, nearly 94 per cent secured them compared with 70 per cent for returning overseas graduates.