Law Society reports should be shared with council members to enable 'frank & constructive' discussion: Edwin Tong

Members of the Law Society Council should be given access to the relevant reports prepared by its Audit Committee (AC) so they can have a "frank and constructive exchange" with the organisation's council, said Minister for Law Edwin Tong on Aug. 14.

Allows members to form their own views on the issues

In a statement to the media, Tong said the reports, with appropriate redactions to protect interviewees, should be made available to members so they can form their own views on the issues raised.

His comments come a day after the Law Society (LawSoc) convened a closed-door dialogue with members to discuss the findings of an internal audit and the council's proposed response.

"The AC report raises significant issues concerning workplace culture, as well as the proper administration and functioning of the Law Society from 2022 to 2025," Tong said. "These are matters which should be taken seriously and addressed thoroughly."

He added that meaningful discussions between the council and members must be supported by disclosure of sufficient information.

"It is therefore important for members to have a frank and constructive exchange with the Council, and this has to be supported by the disclosure of sufficient information for the issues to be properly understood and considered," he said.

Tong also stressed the LawSoc's role in Singapore's legal system, saying it has responsibilities to both its members and the wider public.

"It is therefore important that the issues identified in the report are followed through appropriately, with transparency and accountability, and that the necessary steps be taken to strengthen Law Society's governance and functioning."

"This will help maintain confidence in the Law Society as an institution," he said.

Tong further added that the ministry will continue to monitor developments, and will look forward to further updates from the council on the steps being taken to address the issues identified in the report.

Investigation launched after anonymous allegations

The LawSoc's audit committee began investigations after the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Ministry of Manpower received an anonymous email in September 2025 making allegations against certain people and practices within the association.

This email was raised by Tong on Aug. 5, in reply to a Parliamentary question about the allegations.

He called the claims "serious and wide-ranging" as they concerned inappropriate workplace conduct, weaknesses in governance and oversight, deficiencies in grievance handling and whistleblowing processes, and shortcomings in internal controls over certain administrative and financial practices.

These matters occurred from 2022 to 2025.

The audit did not find evidence of deliberate financial impropriety or an intentional cover-up, Tong said, but it identified significant failings in leadership, workplace culture, and governance.

He added that the audit committee would invite members to a closed-door meeting in August to further discuss the findings.

According to The Straits Times, the report was not released to members, but was submitted to the LawSoc council, which is the governing and management body of the organisation.

Members call for greater transparency

The closed-door meeting between about 200 members of LawSoc on Aug. 13 reportedly grew tense as they discussed the internal probe into allegations of poor workplace culture and bullying.

Hard copies of the report outlining the findings and recommendations were given out to the members at the dialogue, but they had to be returned at the end of the session, attendees told CNA.

These copies apparently did not contain the complete report.

Several annexes, including further investigation reports prepared by a law firm and an auditing firm, were omitted.

The limited disclosure prompted several members to raise issues of transparency and call for the full report to be released to them.

Some said they would demand an extraordinary general meeting if this request was not met, ST reported.

Attendees told ST that members also questioned why no disciplinary action had reportedly been taken against a former senior employee over allegations of inappropriate conduct.

Petition calling for full disclosure

Prior to the meeting, on Aug. 7, a petition was submitted to LawSoc calling on the association to release the findings to members.

"It bears emphasising that these allegations reported have been by far the most serious the society has faced in its entire history... It will be unfair to members of the society that they be denied the opportunity to read the full investigation report and its recommendations," the petition read, as quoted by ST.

Lawyers weigh in after dialogue

Following the meeting, some lawyers publicly called for greater transparency.

Remy Choo, co-founder and joint managing director of RCLT Law Corporation, said in a LinkedIn post that the dialogue showed there was "much more common ground" within the LawSoc than headlines suggested.

He said members broadly agreed on three things:

1. That members deserve more information rather than less;
2. That fairness to all parties involved requires full context; and
3. That any disclosure of information should safeguard the confidentiality of interviewees and be made with appropriate consent.

Choo said that while producing a full account would take time, the shared principles should be their "guiding light in charting a way forward".

Lawyer Clarence Lun of Fervent Chambers also argued that releasing the full report was necessary for accountability.

"Allowing members to read the Audit Committee report is a step towards transparency," he wrote on LinkedIn.

"But if that report was itself informed by more extensive underlying investigation reports and materials, members should, subject to legitimate confidentiality and personal-data safeguards, be permitted to understand and review that material for their own analysis and determination."

"Accountability must be principled, consistent and even-handed," Lun added.