Incoming Chief Justice-designate Sushil Nair: Reforms for a sustainable legal profession will continue despite leadership transition
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Article Date: 03 Aug 2026
Author: Poh Lay Hoon
He also emphasised that whether in the work environment or in courtroom, harassment and bullying are red lines that cannot be crossed. Legal leaders must face the challenges faced by young lawyers and take appropriate action.
This article was first published on 29 July 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.
Incoming Chief Justice Sushil Nair, a Court of Appeal Justice who will assume as the fifth Chief Justice on February 26 next year, delivered his first public speech as a Justice-in-waiting at a legal professional seminar organised by the Singapore Academy of Law on Wednesday (July 29), sharing his views on the future development of the legal profession.
Chief Justice-designate Sushil Nair pledged to continue promoting sustainable development reforms of the legal profession after taking office next year, emphasising that the development of a sustainable legal profession will not be halted due to leadership transitions.
He also emphasised that whether in the work environment or in courtroom, harassment and bullying are red lines that cannot be crossed. Legal leaders must face the challenges faced by young lawyers and take appropriate action.
This year's seminar focused on sustainable development of the legal profession, discussing topics such as workplace sustainability, career development, and reform ideas proposed by the legal community, exploring how to build a more forward-looking legal profession.
In his speech at the seminar, Nair said that the rule of law is a crucial foundation supporting Singapore's economic success and social stability, and the rule of law depends on a sound judiciary and legal workforce. Therefore, the sustainable development of the legal profession is not only related to the industry itself but also carries significant national significance.
He pointed out that the future development of the legal profession has always been an important task jointly promoted by the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General, and he also believes it is an issue that "urgently requires action."
"Even with a leadership transition, the important work currently vigorously promoted by the Justices will continue to advance without interruption."
With about 35 years of practice, Nair previously served as Deputy CEO of Drew and Napier law firm and, and Head of its corporate restructuring and workouts practice group. He said that talent retention has always been an important issue that law firm management must face.
He said he has witnessed firsthand the crucial impact leaders have on legal teams. Some teams, despite facing heavy workloads for a long time, still retain most young lawyers; Some teams have high turnover rates.
Guiding the development of young lawyers is crucial for building robust teams and nurturing future leaders
Nair added, "Employees join because of the organisation, but often leave because of their supervisors." He emphasised that mentoring and nurturing young lawyers is crucial for building robust teams and nurturing future leaders; If excellent lawyers cannot be cultivated and retained, it will be impossible to continuously provide high-quality legal services, and the competitiveness of the legal industry will be weakened.
He pointed out that legal practice, especially high-end legal services, is essentially a profession with strict requirements and heavy pressure; Singapore's ability to provide high-quality legal services is also a key part of the country's success, so the high standards of legal work will not change much.
However, he believes that law firm management has a responsibility to understand the specific challenges faced by young lawyers, carefully review existing management methods, ensure reasonable distribution of work, and establish mechanisms to help management detect early whether individual lawyers are under unsustainable work pressure.
In his opening speech, the current Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that the sustainable development of the legal profession is neither a new issue nor a single issue, but rather the result of long-term accumulation of multiple interconnected pressures within the entire legal ecosystem.
He said that surveys, consultations, and dialogues conducted in recent years show that the legal industry faces five interconnected challenges: work intensity, performance measurement and reward mechanisms, workplace culture, leadership and mentorship systems, and differing expectations of different generations regarding work.
Menon also pointed out that these pressures accumulate over time and may lead to chronic stress, professional burnout, and anxiety, weakening lawyers' sense of belonging to the industry and even prompting them to consider leaving the legal profession.
"If the legal profession cannot provide meaningful and sustainable careers, the judicial system cannot remain robust."
He said that the Committee for the Future of the Legal Profession, established at the end of last year, has identified three directions: strengthening lawyers' leadership and management capabilities, enhancing the connection between law schools and industry, and promoting sustainable development and workplace well-being in the legal sector, translating research outcomes into concrete reform measures.
Minister Edwin Tong: Many lawyers leave law firms, but not the legal profession
Additionally, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong pointed out in his closing remarks that although talent loss in the legal sector is real, the data has remained relatively stable. Between 2015 and 2024, about 60 per cent of lawyers remained in the industry after five years of practice, with a retention rate of approximately 40 per cent after 10 years. He emphasised that many lawyers have left law firms, but not the legal profession.
According to a recent survey by the Singapore Academy of Law, although about one-third expect to leave their current law firm within the next three years, only 8 out of 289 respondents (less than 3%) said their sole intention is to leave the legal profession entirely. This indicates that the vast majority still hope to develop in the legal profession, instead continuing to contribute in corporate legal affairs, academia, government departments, or judicial institutions.
Minister Tong also revealed that the Ministry of Law is studying the launch of the Legal Profession Sustainable Development Guide to establish professional norms and workplace codes of conduct that the industry should abide by.
In addition, he announced that under the Future of the Legal Profession Committee, the Ministry of Law will establish the Singapore Council on AI for Legal Excellence (SCALE), bringing together leaders from across the profession, academia, technology companies, in-house practice and the public sector to build a clearer, evidence-based understanding of how AI is reshaping legal work and what the profession should do in response.
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