The Law Society thanks Mr Lee Kwok Weng for his letter (Are there laws to prevent long working hours?; Jan 14).

The Law Society is cognisant of the long working hours that lawyers at all levels of seniority are subject to.

Young lawyers may be particularly affected because the learning curve is steep.

There is no shortcut to developing the skills necessary for a long and successful professional life.

That said, unnecessarily or excessively long hours should be managed.

We are keen to find ways to encourage supervising solicitors to take greater care in the distribution of work, reducing unnecessary last-minute work or stressful situations.

To this end, Law Society president Gregory Vijayendran announced in his speech at the opening of the legal year on Jan 7 that guidelines for supervising lawyers are being considered.

In addition, the Law Society remains committed to encouraging law firms to adopt family-friendly policies and stress management protocols.

We have also established practice-support schemes for lawyers and trainees, including free counselling by professional counsellors as well as a dedicated one-stop Membership Assistance & Care Helpline.

Specific programmes for young lawyers include regular lunch forums organised by our Young Lawyers Committee to represent the concerns of junior lawyers.

As a result of these discussions, the Law Society recently launched a support scheme called Relational Mentorship where senior lawyers volunteer to mentor young lawyers on aspects of their practice, including time and stress management techniques.

The welfare of young lawyers and trainees is a top priority for us.

Shawn Toh

Director, Communications

The Law Society of Singapore