‘Significant failings in leadership’ identified in Law Society probe: Edwin Tong

SINGAPORE – A probe into complaints of workplace practices at the Law Society of Singapore identified significant failings in leadership, culture and governance from 2022 to 2025, Law Minister Edwin Tong said on Aug 5.

He said this in a written reply to MP Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar), who asked if the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) had been informed of the findings and outcomes of the inquiry into the allegations raised in September 2025.

An online post that month had made allegations of workplace bullying at the Law Society, after a spate of resignations there that year, with about a third of more than 70 full-time employees resigning.

At one point, the human resources department was unstaffed.

In his written reply on Aug 5, Tong addressed the significant failings in leadership, workplace culture and governance at the Law Society.

He said: “These failings have no place in an institution such as LawSoc.

“They undermine confidence within the organisation, affect the well-being of its employees, and risk eroding the trust that both the legal profession and the public place in it.”

He noted the investigation did not find evidence of deliberate financial impropriety or an intentional cover-up.

Tong said the current Law Society council has acknowledged the findings and has begun implementing its recommendations.

He said: “It is important that the council now carefully considers the findings in their entirety, assesses whether, and if so what, further action is required, and takes firm and decisive steps wherever appropriate to address any shortcomings, strengthen governance, improve accountability, and ensure that similar issues do not arise again.”

He added the Law Society has also invited members to a closed-door meeting in August to discuss the findings.

He said the Law Society occupies a unique position as the representative body of Singapore’s legal profession, and must be held to the highest standards of governance and institutional accountability.

Tong did not mention any names in the written reply.

Anonymous email tip-off

In December 2025, The Straits Times broke the story about the investigation, which was then ongoing.

Allegations of excessive spending during overseas trips, which had prompted several council members to raise concerns about financial claims, were also raised during the probe.

In his reply on Aug 5, Tong revealed the probe arose from an anonymous email MinLaw and the Ministry of Manpower received on Sept 13, 2025.

It contained a set of allegations and complaints against certain persons and practices within the Law Society, he said.

The allegations were serious and wide-ranging, covering matters from 2022 to 2025.

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, he said.

MinLaw sent the email to the then Law Society council, which then appointed the society’s audit committee to investigate the matter and make the appropriate recommendations.

Tong said the committee, which comprised both Law Society members and non-members, conducted the investigation independently of the council.

The committee sent its report to the council on June 5, 2026, and the council sent a copy of the report to MinLaw on July 1, he said.

Separately, ST learnt that Law Society members were told in an email on July 23 that the audit committee’s report had been submitted to the council. The report was not released to the members.

In the email seen by ST, the current council told members it had instructed the society’s finance department to conduct a comprehensive review of current travel protocol.

A subsequent email informed members that a closed-door dialogue session will be held on Aug 13.

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