Singapore: An Overview

AI and Sustainability in Singapore’s Legal Practice

Introduction

In recent years, the following two topics have become increasingly important in the legal sector in Singapore:

1. the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal practice; and
2. sustainability of private practice.

This article provides an overview of the developments in 2025 pertaining to the two topics set out above.

Use of AI

At the Legal Profession Symposium 2025 on 29 July 2025, the Honourable Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon observed that generative AI (GenAI) has tremendous potential to reshape the delivery of legal work and that it will transform the legal services sector.

Similarly, in a keynote address delivered at the TechLaw.Fest 2025 on 10 September 2025, the Honourable Chief Justice observed that generative AI will bring about a paradigm shift in the practice of law and that the legal sector should take this development seriously.

In this connection, between 1 September 2025 and 30 September 2025, the Ministry of Law conducted a public consultation in relation to a proposed Guide for Using GenAI in the Legal Sector (the “Guide”).

The Ministry of Law stated that to support the legal sector in harnessing opportunities while navigating the challenges associated with using GenAI technology, the Ministry developed the Guide to empower legal professionals to be informed buyers and users of GenAI tools, while being mindful of professional obligations in the delivery of legal services.

The Guide sets out the following three key principles that legal professionals must observe when using GenAI in legal work.

1. Professional ethics – legal professionals remain ultimately responsible for all work produced, and must apply the requisite knowledge, skill and experience to provide competent advice and representation.
2. Confidentiality – reasonable steps should be taken to ensure client confidentiality is protected when procuring and using GenAI tools.
3. Transparency – consider disclosure to clients regarding GenAI use, to uphold the duty of honesty and inform them of all information that may reasonably affect their interests.

As the Ministry of Law stated, the principles above make reference to lawyers’ duties under the Legal Profession Act 1966 and the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 and the Guide provides practical guidance on maintaining compliance with legal professional duties when using GenAI.

The Guide is important and timely

In a decision which was delivered on 29 September 2025 (see Tajudin bin Gulam Rasul and another v Suriaya bte Haja Mohideen [2025], SGHCR 33), an Assistant Registrar (AR) in the General Division of the High Court of Singapore found that counsel for the claimants in that case had cited a fictitious authority in the claimants’ written submissions which had been produced by a GenAI tool.

The learned AR held that when a lawyer cites a fictitious authority to the court, the gravity of his/her improper conduct does not lie solely in the loss of valuable judicial time and the unnecessary expenditure of his/her counterparty’s resources in uncovering his/her actions. The learned AR held that the lawyer’s actions may, in the eyes of the public, cast a shadow over the legitimacy and honour of the legal profession and its role as a custodian of justice in Singapore.

The learned AR held that the court will not condone such improper conduct and ordered the claimants’ counsel to personally pay the defendant costs in the sum of SGD800.

Sustainability of private practice

At the Legal Profession Symposium 2025, the Honourable Chief Justice described the sustainability of private practice as a “central” and “urgent” issue.

In this connection, the Honourable Chief Justice observed that several commendable initiatives to help law firms implement sustainable workplace practices have been put in place. The initiatives include Guidance Note 8.9.1 issued by the Law Society of Singapore (LSS), which states that practitioners are strongly encouraged to abide by, among other things, the principle that when taking hearing or trial dates and/or obtaining directions on the progress of their cases, practitioners should consider the matters set out below.

• There must be a reasonable amount of time for the practitioner to take sufficient instructions from his or her client, as well as to take all necessary steps to prepare for the hearing or trial, or to comply with the court’s directions to the professional standard expected of him or her in the circumstances of the case.
• Any upcoming family commitments.
• Any upcoming medical appointments and/or periods of medical leave, or other matters involving the health or medical condition of the practitioner or his or her family members.
• The imminent birth or death of a family member of the practitioner.
• The practitioner’s upcoming involvement in another matter in court, arbitration, mediation, or other dispute resolution process.
• The practitioner’s upcoming involvement in a client or witness meeting or other work-related engagements.
• The practitioner’s upcoming travel plans or commitments, whether for work, personal or family matters.
• The practitioner’s upcoming religious commitments.
• The practitioner’s leave plans.
• Weekends and Singapore public holidays.

The issue of sustainability of private practice is also related to the issue of legal ethics.

As the Honourable Chief Justice observed at the Legal Profession Symposium 2025, unsustainable practices may result in “ethical fading”, where high pressure work environments contribute to employees making judgments that are not in keeping with high professional standards.

In this connection, in a Final Report of the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee (the “Committee”), dated 8 January 2025, the Committee recommended, among other things, that the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) develop a core set of workplace principles with a pilot group of law firms and legal departments aimed at maintaining the sustainability of legal practice.

At the Legal Professional Symposium 2025, the Honourable Chief Justice stated that the SAL will introduce a set of Sustainability Principles which comprise the following three key points.

1. Smart meetings and communications – this calls for meetings that are planned properly and run efficiently, leveraging on the appropriate use of smart technology.
2. Supporting rest and growth – this calls on firms to provide resources to promote mental wellness, and to set aside protected time for training and mentoring.
3. Mindful delegation – this entails providing junior lawyers with clear instructions that include sufficient context, and setting deadlines that are realistic, transparent and appropriately negotiable. 

Conclusion

As can be seen above, the use of AI and sustainability of private practice are and will continue to be important topics in Singapore’s legal sector. The relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Law, the judiciary, the LSS and the SAL, are well positioned to navigate the challenges associated with the use of AI and the issue of sustainability.