Singapore's Law Minister says lawyer attrition concerns must be addressed as AI reshapes legal profession

At NUS Law's freshmen inauguration on July 26, Law Minister K Shanmugam acknowledged that while official data shows lawyer attrition has remained broadly stable — approximately 60 per cent remain in practice after five years and about 40 per cent after ten years between 2015 and 2024 — a Law Society study identified serious concerns including long working hours, toxic workplace culture, unfair treatment in court, and the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence on legal careers. Over the same decade, the number of practising Singapore lawyers grew by 26 per cent, and in-house counsel numbers rose by about one-third to around 4,800. Shanmugam said first-year lawyers at top firms earn S$120,000 to S$140,000, but stressed that the issues raised must be verified through detailed data before conclusions are drawn.