MinLaw aware of police investigations arising from LawSoc audit, says council members will cooperate fully

According to the email, the Law Society was instructed not to further publish or distribute the contents of the report, or comment on such matters before investigations conclude.

It promised members an update “in due course”.

The society had said in August that it would release the full report after a redaction process, following calls to do so from its members and Law Minister Edwin Tong. 

The report is a result of investigations arising from an anonymous email to MinLaw and the Ministry of Manpower containing what Mr Tong described as “concerning allegations and complaints” against certain people and practices within the Law Society between 2022 and 2025.

The Law Society represents lawyers and maintains standards of the legal profession in Singapore. Its current council, led by Senior Counsel Professor Tan Cheng Han as president, took office in 2026.

Council presidents from 2022 to 2025 were the late Mr Adrian Tan, Senior Counsel Jason Chan and Ms Lisa Sam.

After receiving the email, MinLaw referred the allegations to the Law Society council, which then appointed an audit committee to investigate the matter. The committee, made up of members and non-members, conducted its investigation independently of the council.

“While the audit did not find evidence of deliberate financial impropriety or an intentional cover-up, it nevertheless identified significant failings in leadership, workplace culture and governance during the relevant period,” said Mr Tong in parliament in August.

“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.”

Later in August, he also called on the Law Society to release the full report to its members, following a petition and heated closed-door meeting where the members demanded its release. 

Before that meeting, hard copies of the audit committee’s report, containing a summary of findings and recommendations, were circulated to members and had to be returned before the session ended.

Days later, the Law Society said it would release the full report “as soon as practicable” as long as the confidentiality of interviewees was protected and those facing material allegations were given a chance to respond.