1 in 3 new lawyers may quit within 3 years over workload, workplace culture, mentorship gap: Chief Justice

SINGAPORE: One in three newly admitted lawyers in Singapore may leave the profession within three years, according to a survey cited by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on 20 April 2026, highlighting mounting concerns over workload, workplace culture and mentorship gaps.

Addressing new entrants at the High Court auditorium, the Chief Justice said excessive workload, poor workplace culture and a lack of guidance were among the main reasons driving potential attrition among junior lawyers.

“There are many causes, but I would suggest that among the most significant is the increasing complexity of legal work, both in the law itself and in the environments in which lawyers operate,” he said.

His remarks were delivered during this year’s mass call, where 321 new lawyers were welcomed to the Bar over three sessions held on Monday and Tuesday.

Rising pressures on junior lawyers

The Chief Justice noted that the pressures facing the profession are not isolated, but instead intersect most acutely at the junior level.

“These pressures are not isolated,” he said, adding that they “converge most sharply at the junior end of the profession”.

The warning comes amid broader structural changes within the legal sector, driven in part by rapid technological developments and shifting client expectations.

Citing a survey conducted among the newly admitted lawyers present, the Chief Justice said that 92 per cent of respondents were already using artificial intelligence in their work.

However, the same survey found that about one-third of respondents indicated they were likely to leave the profession entirely within the next three years.

Artificial intelligence reshaping legal work

While artificial intelligence has improved efficiency across legal processes, it is also fundamentally reshaping entry-level roles traditionally occupied by junior lawyers.

Routine tasks such as legal research and drafting, once considered essential training for young practitioners, are increasingly being handled by machines.

“It is through this iterative process that they have acquired not only technical competence, but also the habits of mind that underpin good lawyering,” the Chief Justice said.

He raised concerns that if such foundational work is outsourced to technology, the profession must rethink how new lawyers develop critical skills.

“If these foundational tasks are increasingly outsourced to machines, and if it becomes uneconomic to have them performed by young lawyers, then we must confront a serious question: how are we going to redesign our workflows and processes to ensure that our young lawyers acquire the instincts, the discipline, and the professional judgment that these very tasks once helped cultivate?”

Economic impact and shifting client expectations

The Chief Justice also pointed to the broader economic implications of artificial intelligence for the legal sector.

As clients demand faster turnaround times, lower costs and greater efficiency, the traditional model of legal service delivery is expected to evolve.

Work that has historically formed part of law firms’ core offerings may increasingly be outsourced to alternative legal service providers.

These changes could place downward pressure on legal fees and prompt greater calls for pricing transparency across the industry.

“The combined effect may well be to reduce both volume and the value of traditional legal work, and in turn, perhaps for a time, to weaken the demand for junior lawyers,” he said.

Implications for sustainability and well-being

The convergence of technological disruption and growing complexity in legal work raises deeper concerns about the long-term sustainability of the profession.

“These developments matter because their implications run deep. They affect whether talented people will be attracted to the profession and whether they will remain within it,” the Chief Justice said.

He added that such pressures also influence lawyers’ performance, mental well-being and the resilience of ethical standards within the profession.

The strain on junior lawyers, in particular, may affect not only retention rates but also the overall quality and integrity of legal practice.

Role of leadership and workplace culture

Against this backdrop, the Chief Justice emphasised the importance of leadership within legal organisations.

He said that the conduct of senior lawyers, the expectations they set and the culture they cultivate will play a decisive role in shaping how the profession adapts.

Leadership, he noted, is central to determining whether workplaces can support sustainable practices and foster the development of younger lawyers.

The concerns raised echo issues highlighted in previous addresses, underscoring persistent structural challenges within the profession.

Sector-wide response and training initiatives

In response to these challenges, the legal sector is rolling out initiatives aimed at strengthening professional development and promoting more sustainable workplace practices.

Efforts are also underway to build technical competence in artificial intelligence, ensuring that lawyers can use such tools effectively while understanding their limitations.

The Chief Justice stressed that lawyers must be able to critically evaluate the outputs generated by artificial intelligence systems.

He pointed to collaborations between the Singapore Academy of Law and Microsoft to develop practical guides for legal professionals, alongside hands-on training clinics.

Human skills remain critical

Despite the growing role of technology, the Chief Justice underscored that technical competence alone would not be sufficient for future lawyers.

“But technical competence, important though it is, will never be enough,” he said.

He highlighted that qualities such as ethical reasoning, sound judgment under uncertainty, empathy and moral courage would become even more important in the age of artificial intelligence.

These are capabilities that cannot be replicated by machines, he added.

“The capabilities that may become even more important in the age of AI are precisely those that cannot be replicated by machines: ethical reasoning, sound judgment in conditions of uncertainty, empathy for clients, and the moral courage to tell a client what the client may or may not wish to hear.”

The broader task, he said, is not only to teach lawyers how to use artificial intelligence, but also to ensure that the profession continues to cultivate distinctly human qualities.

These include judgment, ethical responsibility, discernment and integrity.

Attention is also being directed towards safeguarding the long-term health of the legal profession.

This includes the development of training initiatives and career guidance programmes aimed at supporting lawyers throughout their professional journeys.