Law Society to release investigation report after redaction process

SINGAPORE – The Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc) council told members on Aug 20 that it would release the audit committee’s report, which detailed its findings on workplace complaints and governance issues at the organisation.

But this will be done only after a process is carried out to redact information relating to the interviewees, LawSoc said in an e-mail to its members.

The decision came after about 200 LawSoc members attended a tense four-hour closed-door dialogue on Aug 13, during which lawyers called for the disclosure of the report and relevant investigation material.

On Aug 14, Law Minister Edwin Tong called for the relevant reports to be made available to members, with appropriate redactions to protect the interviewees.

On the same day, LawSoc president Tan Cheng Han said on his LinkedIn page that he explained during the session that the council must honour its promise of confidentiality to the interviewees, many of whom are LawSoc’s former employees.

The investigation arose from an anonymous e-mail sent to the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Manpower on Sept 13, 2025.

It contained allegations and complaints against certain people and practices within LawSoc, Tong said in a written parliamentary reply on Aug 5.

He added that the allegations concerned inappropriate workplace conduct, weaknesses in governance and oversight, deficiencies in grievance handling and whistle-blowing processes, and shortcomings in internal controls over certain administrative and financial practices.

According to LawSoc’s e-mail to members, the council held a meeting on Aug 18 following the Aug 13 dialogue session.

The e-mail reiterated that the interviews were conducted on the basis that the responses given were confidential and were only for the purposes of the investigation. 

The council said it deliberated on how best to honour the assurance of confidentiality while meeting members’ desire for more information.

The e-mail said the council intends, by Aug 24, to write to all interviewees to give them the right to redact their names from the reports and interview transcripts, and to redact all or part of their interview transcripts.

The interviewees will be asked to provide their responses by Sept 7.

They will be informed that if they do not reply by then, their statement will not be disclosed, as they have not waived the confidentiality promised to them, the e-mail stated.

Right of reply

In cases where material allegations have been made against certain individuals, they will be given the right to respond by Sept 21 or within 14 days after the relevant redacted transcripts are sent to them.

The e-mail said the council intends to release the report as soon as practicable after the process is completed.

Tong said in his parliamentary reply that the probe had identified significant failings in leadership, workplace culture and governance from 2022 to 2025.

He added that the failings have no place in an institution such as LawSoc, as they undermine confidence within the organisation, affect the well-being of its employees and risk eroding the trust the legal profession and the public place in it.

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

“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.”