[Zaobao Profile]: Law Society President Tan Cheng Han: No Claiming Credit, No Seeking Fame; Upholding Propriety, Seeing the Bigger Picture

This article was first published on 9 August 2026 in the Singapore Mandarin broadsheet, Lianhe Zaobao. 

SLW obtained permission to reproduce the article to give the legal community a broader view of legal reports for various news syndicates.

English translation by Lianhe Zaobao, with vetting assistance from Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC.

Last December, the Law Society of Singapore’s presidential election saw a wave of controversy. Amidst the disputes, president-elect Dinesh Dhillon decided to step aside, and the then vice-president-elect, Professor Tan Cheng Han, took over the helm. Professor Tan, who was Dean of NUS Law for 10 years, has taught countless students. While teaching, this Senior Counsel continues to occasionally hone his skills in court, remaining steadfastly at the forefront of the legal profession. In this issue of "Zaobao Profile" （早人物，Zao Renwu）, Tan Cheng Han talks about industry reforms, professional courtesy, and nurturing young lawyers, while sharing the life principles he has held steadfast to for decades.

Looking back at archives, my coverage of court cases represented by Tan Cheng Han dates back to 1998.

At that time, he represented an engineer suing his mother and siblings over his father's estate. Representing the three defendants were K. Shanmugam and Edwin Tong, who were then both with the same law firm. Today, Shanmugam is Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Minister for Home Affairs (as well as former Minister for Law), while Tong is Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs. The case was later settled out of court.

In a blink of an eye, 28 years have passed.

Every time I meet this Senior Counsel and law professor, it always feels like a breath of fresh air.

On that day, by the pond at the NUS Faculty of Law campus where fish swam leisurely, the tall and lean Prof Tan walked towards us with a warm smile. Known for keeping a low profile, he patiently cooperated with the photographer, then led us into his office. This is Tan Cheng Han's first media interview since taking office as president of the Law Society.

Law students have affectionately likened him to the wise Headmaster Dumbledore from Harry Potter, describing him as gentle, humorous, completely unassuming, and someone who normally doesn't even like tucking his shirt into his pants.

Last November, the Law Society's leadership transition caused quite a stir. Dinesh Dhillon, a "statutory member" appointed by the Minister for Law, was elected president-elect, prompting industry concerns over whether the nearly 60-year-old convention that "the president should be an elected member of council" had been broken.

The saga was eventually resolved when Mr Dhillon voluntarily stepped aside and reached a "Consent Resolution" with the members who had raised objections, allowing the then vice-president-elect, Prof Tan, to take over as president.

Tan Cheng Han later revealed in an interview that the day before the resolution was signed, Dhillon called to ask if he was prepared to take on the heavy responsibility.

"I thought this was a very selfless act on his part," he said. "In the circumstances, I felt I should agree if he and others thought this was the best way forward for the profession."

He said the consent agreement was worked out without his knowledge and he was asked only to witness it being signed.

Speaking of the storm now, he smiles faintly: "It's all in the past." That smile was the best answer, and I did not press further.

He admitted that he does not welcome all the roles that come his way, but when people ask him to do something, and it is something meaningful, he generally finds it hard to refuse.

Appointed Senior Counsel at 39, Prof Tan is currently a Senior Consultant at WongPartnership. He has served as Dean of the NUS Faculty of Law, Dean of the City University of Hong Kong School of Law, a member of the Military Court of Appeal, and Chairman of Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo).

Driving Digital Transformation in the Legal Profession | Reviewing the "Billable Hour" System

When asked if he hopes to leave behind any legacy during his presidency, he shook his head immediately.

"I sometimes think it is dangerous to think in terms of legacy, because we think in terms of legacy, you're often thinking of yourself, you know."

In his view, the president's role is not to leave behind a name, but to resolve real-world problems for the legal profession.

A Law Society President's term is one year and Presidents typically serve 2 terms. He candidly admitted that one year is indeed too short. If the council feels it is necessary for him to serve a second term to complete the ongoing reforms, he is willing to continue shouldering the responsibility.

Speaking about his future plans, he did not offer grand slogans, but hopes to help lawyers—especially those in small and mid-sized law firms—embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI).

As a Senior Counsel specializing in complex disputes, his "clients" over the years have actually mostly been small law firms. Knowing the resource constraints of small firms, he does not want them to fall behind in the AI wave.

He hopes a high percentage of lawyers become AI-fluent, and does not want smaller practices to fall behind due to limited resources.

To this end, the Law Society is collaborating with the Ministry of Law and industry players to explore a demand aggregation portal where multiple law firms can band together for bulk purchases to secure better pricing, thereby lowering the barrier for adopting AI. The Society also continues to organise training courses and promote funding schemes to help lawyers master AI and clarify the professional ethics of using AI.

Reflecting on his work over the past six months, he expressed satisfaction with the various initiatives the Law Society has pushed in the technology space, strengthening international connections, and starting work on sustainability, and is happy that different government agencies have approached them for legal inputs.

Another reform he is focused on is reviewing the long-standing billable hour model.

As AI continues to boost efficiency, he believes that lawyers' fees should gradually shift from a time-based charging model to a value-based model, to more accurately reflect a lawyer's professional judgment, experience, and the cost of investing in AI tools.

However, he stressed that the legal industry is still in a transitional stage, and it is not advisable to abandon the existing system hastily; rather, it should be adjusted gradually.

The Law Society recently released the Sustainability of the Legal Profession study and has formed a Task Force to look into the attrition of young lawyers and the sustainability of the legal profession.

With only half a year left in his term, Prof Tan admitted that time is tight. However, he cares more about whether the reforms can be genuinely implemented, rather than rushing to present a report card.

"No point putting out all sorts of proposals and then, you know, they're not practical. I would like to see some concrete recommendations and maybe even some work to implement these concrete recommendations by the fourth quarter of this year."

To him, the work of the Law Society has no finish line.

"The work will never be complete because there can always be improvements."

Applying "Martial Courtesies" to "Legal Reasoning" | With Sound Arguments, Why Be Aggressive?

Few people know that the titan of legal academia, Prof Tan Cheng Han, is also a martial arts expert. He started practising Taekwondo in secondary school, holds a third-dan black belt, and is currently the President of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation.

Taekwondo emphasizes starting and ending with courtesy ("始于礼，终于礼"). This martial spirit has also become his courtroom philosophy.

In April this year, at the Litigation Conference organised by the Law Society, Prof Tan called on lawyers to abandon the "combatant's mindset," to work collaboratively with the court to arrive at an optimal solution, and to treat opposing counsel with courtesy and a spirit of cooperation.

In his view, lawyers certainly have a duty to advocate strongly, but being "strong" does not equate to being aggressive.

"Strongly to me means I put forward good legal arguments. I conduct my cross-examination in a professional way. I ask you all the questions I need to ask you, but I don't have to ask you questions in a nasty way. I put my arguments across strongly, but again, professionally," he said.

He said lawyers are officers of the court and belong to a noble and learned profession. Even as they advance their clients' cases robustly, they must treat opposing counsel fairly, honestly, and without rancour, because opponents are also fellow officers of the court and "learned friends."

He has seen lawyers whose correspondence is very unpleasant and nasty, who cross-examine in a very rude manner, showing disrespect not only to the witnesses but also to opposing counsel.

"Why make life more difficult for each other? Especially if you're rude to your opponent, your opponent will also try to make life difficult for you. So why bother?" he questioned.

In his view, remaining courteous to opponents is not just professional ethics, but also a matter of practical common sense.

"We can put forward our client's case, but we don't have to be nasty about it... because being nasty just lowers the tone of the profession and makes practice unpleasant," he said.

Past Aggressive Opponent Becomes Close Friend

Over 20 years ago, he encountered a highly uncompromising opposing counsel. During the case, both sides had discussed a settlement, but the opponent firmly held his ground, leading Prof Tan to think that their relationship would not be a good one.

Unexpectedly, a few months after the case concluded, the opponent proactively called him, asking to collaborate on another case. Today, the two have become close friends and have collaborated on at least four or five cases.

"...if you earn the respect and goodwill of your opponent, they may also refer cases to you in future or find ways to work with you. Many of my instructing lawyers were former opponents!"

Prof Tan candidly admitted that when faced with aggressive opponents, he is not immune to getting emotional—"We're all human." But he always reminds himself to exercise restraint, because as long as one proactively creates an environment of respect and professionalism, the other party will often reciprocate.

"If I have a strong case, I don't have to be nasty, right? I can win without being nasty. And if I have a weak case, what's the point? Right. What's the point of being nasty?"

Don't Just Blame Young Lawyers for Lacking Drive | Only Good Mentors Can Retain Talent

Are young lawyers today less resilient and less driven than those of previous generations?

Tan Cheng Han does not agree with this perception. He noted that almost every generation of senior lawyers complains that the next generation is “not hardworking enough”. He recalls that the generation older than his made the same assessment of his generation back then.

Perhaps interacting daily with university students, coupled with raising 28-year-old triplets, has given him an extra layer of understanding regarding the thoughts of young people.

His wife was formerly the general counsel of a listed company. Their triplets—two boys and a girl—have grown up and chosen different paths: the eldest daughter, who is legally trained, is heading overseas to pursue a counselling course to become a counsellor; the second son has just completed his legal training contract; and the youngest son is preparing to join one of the Big Four accounting firms.

In his view, today's young people are not unable to endure hardship; rather, they have more options and want to seek a life that suits them better.

"If younger lawyers find more meaning and lead more productive lives outside the legal profession, this is not a bad thing," he said.

Prof Tan used himself as an example, pointing out that he is also someone who left practice because becoming an academic gave him more fulfilment. Over his entire career, he spent about 80% of his time at the university and only 20% in practice. "As long as what we do is meaningful and is productive... there's nothing wrong with this."

Therefore, he believes senior lawyers should not operate on the premise that "younger lawyers are not so hardworking, so if they leave it's their own fault." What truly deserves attention is not that young lawyers are leaving, but whether they are leaving for "bad reasons," such as unrealistic working hours and unreasonable expectations.

"What we senior lawyers have to keep reminding ourselves is that we are dealing with younger people who are new to the profession and we have a responsibility to make sure that the experience in the profession is a positive one," he said.

He believes that the key to retaining young lawyers is having good mentors. He cited his own pupil master, Justice Woo Bih Li, currently President of the Appellate Division of the High Court, as an example.

Strictness and Nastiness Are Two Entirely Different Things

Justice Woo expected high standards of work and was tough on Prof Tan, but he was always polite, never rude, never scolded him unreasonably, and tried to teach him how to do things better.

This positive experience shaped Prof Tan's own belief that whenever he works with younger lawyers, he must also be a positive influence on them.

"No matter how much pressure you are under, no matter how busy you are, no matter how demanding your job is, it is still possible to be courteous, to be kind, to try to teach while at the same time to be tough... tough in terms of standards. You don't have to point it out in a nasty way," he said.

He said, being strict and being nasty are two entirely different things.

"The 'fierce' is a different kind of fierce. It's not like being nasty or abusive. The fierce is, 'hey, I want you to do your work well.' Strict is okay, for good reason," he said.

However, he acknowledges there are many excellent mentors like Justice Woo in the legal fraternity, there are still some senior lawyers who need to rethink how they work with and guide younger lawyers.

To address the attrition of younger lawyers, the Law Society has established a new Task Force to study key areas, including workplace culture and conduct; well-being and mental health; early-career structure and exploration; billing models; and ecosystem reform, hoping to implement concrete recommendations by the fourth quarter of this year.

Prof Tan's greatest hope is very simple: "I hope that younger lawyers feel that legal practice is meaningful for them."

Holding Fast to the Legal Calling | Serving Society to the Best of His Ability

Today is National Day, and Singapore turns 61.

Tan Cheng Han, who will turn 62 at the end of this year, is almost of the same age as the Republic.

His life is devoid of dramatic ups and downs or earth-shattering legends. He works on principles, refuses to drift with the tide, and his greatest trait is his steadiness ("稳").

Born around the time Singapore separated from Malaysia, Prof Tan crossed the Causeway in his childhood to board with relatives and attend school in Singapore, before his whole family eventually relocated to Singapore. He completed his education seamlessly, entered the NUS Faculty of Law, and became a Singapore citizen around the age of 28.

With a lawyer father, he was exposed to the field early on and firmly believed that law is not just a tool for making a living, but a means to help others.

"I believed at that time that a lawyer has great potential to contribute positively. I still believe this today."

Precisely because of this, for decades—whether in the university, law firm, courtrooms, or the Law Society, his footprints of service can be found everywhere.

"My sense of purpose is to be as helpful as I can; to try to do something positive if I can," he said.

Dedicatedly Caring for His Elderly Parents | Striving to Be a Good Son

During the interview, he spoke of law, education, and humanity. He has always lived by a guiding principle: to treat others as he would like them to treat his loved ones.

This conviction is also reflected in his daily life. To ensure his elderly parents have a stable retirement income, he suggested they rent out their own house for living expenses, while he pays out of his own pocket to rent a small apartment for them. He visits them almost every weekend.

Speaking of this, he simply smiled and said lightly: "I try to be a good son."

Having sailed the vast ocean of law for more than three decades, Tan Cheng Han has long been completely at ease in his element. Yet in the way he conducts himself and deals with others, he has always maintained a sense of propriety. Indeed, propriety is also a kind of power.

(See original prose in Chinese below)

律师公会会长陈清汉 不争功不图留名 守分寸显大格局

在浩瀚“法”海中畅游数十载，早已如鱼得水的陈清汉，为人处事，始终不失分寸。

原来，分寸，也是一种力量。

Source: Lianhe Zaobao © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. 

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