By Richelle Khor, PBI Intern
Over the past decade, pro bono awareness has been growing within the legal community in Singapore. Lawyers in Singapore have an aspirational target of 25 hours of pro bono service. Opportunities abound in this thriving pro bono market, allowing lawyers to meet and exceed this goal. Join us as we explore the sourcing, regulation, and delivery of pro bono legal services in Singapore.
Pro Bono Sources in Singapore
Lawyers in Singapore can seek pro bono work from both governmental and non-governmental sources. One governmental source for pro bono matters is The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) under the Ministry of Law. The LAB provides legal assistance in civil proceedings that concern divorce, adoption, child custody, tort claims, and estate matters. Criminal proceedings, defamation, child support, certain employment disputes, and foreign legal issues are not covered. Lawyers who wish to provide pro bono service through the LAB must sign up as Assigned Solicitors.
There are several non-governmental pro bono providers in Singapore. NGOs such as Justice Without Borders, Migrant Workers’ Centre, Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, and TRANS Family Services & Safe Centre operate through fellowships and community legal clinics. The Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) oversees these efforts and maintains a list of approved pro bono programs.
Pro Bono SG is a registered charity that functions as a clearinghouse by identifying legal needs in the community and coordinating referrals between lawyers and pro bono clients. The organization runs the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) for people facing non-death penalty criminal charges and the Family Justice Support Scheme (FJSS) for matters involving divorce, family violence, and child support issues. Pro Bono SG is known for its integrated legal care model. Both lawyers and social workers sit on Pro Bono SG’s case reviewing panel, allowing them to provide trauma-informed and timely legal remedies. The result is one of cross-pollination of perspectives and skillsets:
“The approach to access to justice should be holistic. Vulnerable clients need the psychological safety to be able to talk about their problems. We feel heartened by the results of our approach when we see lawyers become more empathetic to clients’ emotions and experiences, while social workers begin to consider solutions to social issues from a legal dimension. We hope to strengthen the nexus between these disciplines.”
– Tanguy Lim, CEO of Pro Bono SG
Regulation of Pro Bono Services in Singapore
While a lawyer generally needs a practicing certificate to practice and advise on Singapore law, foreign lawyers are not precluded from undertaking pro bono work. Foreign law firms with a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice license may provide corporate legal support to charities and non-profits. The Legal Profession (Pro Bono Legal Services) Rules, introduced in October 2013, creates a further exemption for specified pro bono services. Lawyers without a practicing certificate may participate in programs administered by Pro Bono SG and other public and charitable programs. For instance, the LAB allows such lawyers to register under the LAB Volunteer Lawyers Scheme. One of the main differences between these two models is that the exemption model does not extend to appearing before any Singapore court or other tribunal.
Delivery of Pro Bono Legal Services in Singapore – Local Firms
A deep understanding of local laws and demographics has helped local Singapore firms in addressing the acute legal needs faced by the most underprivileged. Local lawyers participate in programs administered by the LAB and Pro Bono SG and work frequently with charities on vetting legal documents and advising on the legal aspects of establishing social programs.
An interesting trend is how the regionalization of local Singapore firms has led to a continued growth in their pro bono services. Allen & Gledhill, a Singapore firm with extensive networks across Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China, has demonstrated an expansion of their pro bono footprint within the region. The firm collaborated with Impulse NGO Network on developing the Myanmar laws that concern the standard operation procedure and working rules for repatriation, rehabilitation, and protection of human trafficking survivors in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In Indonesia, the firm assisted The Conversation, a non-profit media organisation in establishing a foundation aimed to enhance public discourse.
Delivery of Pro Bono Legal Services in Singapore – International Firms
Leveraging their global footprint, international firms make impactful contributions to communities in Singapore through pro bono service. Milbank’s Singapore team, for instance, assisted the Social Enterprise Thailand Association with introducing data management processes and developing an external data collection policy in compliance with Thailand’s data protection laws. Jacqueline Chan, a partner at Milbank Singapore comments on how Milbank’s relationships with local regulators and counsel in many key jurisdictions have given the firm a comparative advantage in pro bono.
“We take immense pride that word of our successful pro bono mandates has travelled quickly within the social investing and charitable community in Southeast Asia. We think this creates a virtuous cycle by increasing awareness that international firms have an important role to play in the local community and can bring our unique blend of cross-border expertise and local connections to play in a crucial way to improve access to justice across Southeast Asia. We have seen tangible signs of this, as we are getting increased referrals from existing pro bono clients which are often deeply embedded in various meaningful causes in the community. We are part of, and encourage, the joint effort by international firms to build on this virtuous cycle.”
– Jacqueline Chan
There is active collaboration between international firms and local industry associations. For example, Bird & Bird’s Singapore team acts as the pro bono legal counsel to the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), the Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), and the Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) in advancing sustainability initiatives.
As for collaboration with government-based pro bono work, international firms are frequently involved in matters concerning the protection of migrant workers. Sidley Austin’s Singapore team, in conjunction with Pro Bono SG, developed a workshop for migrant domestic workers on their labor and employment rights. Reed Smith’s Singapore team similarly worked with Pro Bono SG to produce a multi-language glossary of legal terms commonly found in salary, work injury, and personal injury claims brought by migrant workers.
What Lies Ahead
One of the most pressing matters for pro bono in Singapore is to reduce friction in the delivery of pro bono services. Pro Bono SG has been tackling this with trusted community partners in an effort to make services more accessible. To complement these efforts and to continue to identify gaps in access to justice, a strategy and impact evaluation unit has been established to measure how clients have been served and whether they feel more empowered to request legal help. The feedback obtained will also help Pro Bono SG keep its finger on the pulse of the latest trends in pro bono service and the corresponding needs of the community.
“Pro Bono SG aspires to be one of the thought leaders in communal practice. The vision that I have is for Pro Bono SG to operate akin to the accident and emergency departments of hospitals – always accumulating legal know-hows to provide immediate solutions to urgent legal issues.”
– Tanguy Lim
The extensive and highly developed pro bono operations in Singapore serve a critical role in supporting access to justice. The collaborative and community-centered approaches ensure that available resources make their way to the communities they exist to serve.
Looking for more pro bono inspiration? Check out this video by Pro Bono SG illustrating how they’re strengthening communities in Singapore, and stay tuned for more global pro bono spotlights from PBI.