Law Society study finds workplace culture & poor mental health driving S'pore lawyers away, MinLaw says it must be 'taken seriously'

According to a study commissioned by the Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc), workplace culture is the main reason lawyers leave a firm, while poor mental health is what ultimately pushes them out of the legal profession altogether.

The study, titled the Legal Profession Sustainability Study, was released on Jun. 23, and was conducted by research firm Anthro Insights on behalf of LawSoc.

It drew on responses from 855 practising and former lawyers over four years, along with 31 in-depth interviews with members of the legal community, including former judges and senior practitioners.

The study was commissioned following a warning from late former LawSoc president Adrian Tan in 2022, who said young lawyers were facing a "perfect storm" as record numbers left the profession while fewer entered it.

Poor culture wears down mental health

The study found that nearly 36 per cent of respondents experienced anxiety at moderate or severe levels, while close to 20 per cent reported symptoms consistent with moderately severe and severe depression.

It found that poor workplace culture erodes lawyers' mental health over time, to the point where leaving the profession altogether can start to feel like the only viable option.

Conversely, the study suggested that improving workplace culture could ease the pressures pushing lawyers out of individual firms, while protecting their mental health.

It also identified multiple, interlocking factors driving attrition: court timelines that set deadlines, client expectations that drive intensity, billing models that shape boundaries, senior practitioners who set workplace norms, and law schools that shape new lawyers' expectations of the profession.

It outlines five strategic recommendations, stating that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that the right approach depends on a firm's specific issues.

It recommended that firms first prioritise making workplaces psychologically safe and address harmful supervisory behaviour, before strengthening firm-level support systems and pursuing broader profession-wide reforms in parallel.

Speaking at the Mass Call Ceremony back in April 2026, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said a third of lawyers may quit within three years, citing heavy workloads and poor workplace culture.

Responding to a parliamentary question on May 6 regarding this issue, Minister for Law Edwin Tong said attrition rates have remained stable over the past 10 years, and that lawyers leave the profession for a range of reasons.

He added that LawSoc has introduced mentorship and other support schemes to connect young lawyers with experienced mentors, supporting career development, mental well-being, and professional growth.

Legal talent in Singapore is a "precious asset": MinLaw

In a statement on Jun. 23, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) stated that the study's findings have to be taken seriously and considered carefully.

It described Singapore's legal talent as a "precious asset" that requires an open conversation about sustaining the balance between industry growth and individual lawyers' well-being.

"Our legal talent in Singapore is a precious asset. It is therefore important that we have an open and honest conversation about how we can sustain the balance between industry and individual professional growth, alongside the well-being and long-term sustainability of being engaged in legal practice."

Joint committee to be established

A Judiciary–Law Society Joint Working Committee will be formed to address feedback that falls within the courts' purview, a Judiciary spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

The committee will be co-led by Judiciary chief executive Juthika Ramanathan and Supreme Court registrar Jill Tan, alongside LawSoc representatives including Lok Vi Ming SC and Young Lawyers Committee co-chairs Darryl Chew and Charmaine Yap, among others.

It will focus on two areas:

First, it will examine feedback on court-imposed pressures and courtroom conduct to better understand current practice conditions, including the experiences of junior lawyers and those with caregiving responsibilities.

Second, it will use these findings to co-develop initiatives that support practitioner well-being while maintaining the effective administration of justice.

The committee will also review whether existing feedback channels between the Bench and the Bar are functioning as intended and sufficiently well-known among practitioners.

It will also consider how these channels can be strengthened.

Separately, the Singapore Judicial College will review and strengthen its curriculum in response to the study's findings, with particular attention to courtroom communication and case management.