Is the cost of becoming a lawyer in Singapore worth it any more? Lawyers are leaving the profession because of issues such as toxic bosses and inflexible court timelines, according to a recent in-depth study

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🎧 Is the cost of becoming a lawyer in Singapore worth it any more? Lawyers are leaving the profession because of issues such as toxic bosses and inflexible court timelines, according to a recent in-depth study.

 

If these issues have been raised for more than 30 years, will this study change anything? Hear from legal professionals on The Usual Place podcast. 

 

https://str.sg/CS4G

 

🎧 Podcast & Issue Full Details: Overworked, bullied and burnt-out: Is being a lawyer still a dream job?

 

Source: The Usual Place podcast, The Straits Times, published 9 July 2026  

Link: https://str.sg/CS4G

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah  

Guests:

 

- Zhang Yu Fu: Junior lawyer at Dentons Rodyk, called to Bar April 2026, study participant  

- Wong Yi: General Counsel at Lum Chang Holdings, ex-Big Four firm, former chair of Law Society Young Lawyers Committee  

 

 

 

📄 The Core Study: Legal Profession Sustainability Study

 

- Commissioned by: Law Society of Singapore; done over 4 years by Anthro Insights; released 23 June 2026

- Scope: Surveyed 855 practising/former lawyers; 31 in-depth interviews with ex-judges, academics, junior/senior practitioners, and those who left practice  

- Key Finding: Attrition comes from structural/cultural issues unchanged for decades, not individual shortcomings

 

🚩 Main reasons lawyers leave

 

- Workplace culture: Bullying, humiliation, toxic supervision, lack of mentorship

- Workload & expectations: Excessive hours, 24/7 availability, punishing deadlines, heavy billable-hour pressure  

- Court system issues: Inflexible timelines, rigid scheduling that ignores personal needs (e.g. pregnancy/family emergencies), harsh treatment by some judicial officers

- Preparation gap: Law schools seen as not equipping students for real practice realities

- Scale of crisis: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon noted 1 in 3 new lawyers may leave within 3 years  

 

 

 

💰 Is the cost worth it?

 

- Education cost (citizens, subsidised): NUS/SMU Law ~S$12,650–13,700/year; JD programmes ~S$20,000–30,000/year; plus training, Bar exams, and low trainee stipends

- Pay reality: Top firms pay S$100k–130k/year for fresh associates, but most earn ~S$4,700/month at graduation; partnership takes 10–15 years and few make it

- Value question: High financial + personal cost vs. eroding job satisfaction, burnout risk, and uncertain long-term reward  

 

 

 

🤔 Will this study change anything?

 

- These concerns have been voiced for over 30 years with limited progress  

- Why this time may differ: First large, systematic evidence of deep-rooted problems; backed by Law Society, judiciary, and government attention  

- Early responses: Ministry of Law reviewing findings; calls for flexible timelines, better culture, mentorship, and work-life boundaries  

- Stakes: Persistent attrition risks hollowing out talent, raising legal costs, and hurting access to justice

 

 

 

The episode explores whether the profession can move past talk to real reform, and whether law remains a “dream job” for the next generation .

 

 

[coffeenut]

Oversupply

 

Lawyers don't retire de, just like politicians. 

 

Diminishing returns for those who are new - cannot climb quick and not to where 2-3 gen old derelicts are