Ethics Resources
What if I need Ethics Guidance?
If you require advice or guidance on an ethical issue, please send an email to ethics_enquiry@lawsoc.org.sg for your query to be referred to the Advisory Committee. In this regard, please refer to Part C of Practice Direction 2.1.3 (Enquiries to Relevant Committee) for the guidelines on submitting a request to the Advisory Committee for ethical guidance.
For a comprehensive overview of the Law Society’s Ethics Resources and Support Schemes for Members, please refer to this factsheet.
Code of Practice
General Resources
Case Notes
- Law Society of Singapore v Tan Chun Chuen Malcolm [2020] SGHC 166
Articles
Confidential Information
- Disclosing Client Confidences to Your Spouse or Significant Other (Singapore Law Gazette, February 2019)
Conflicts of Interest
- The Importance of Communicating Effectively with Your Client (Singapore Law Gazette, December 2022)
- Risky Business: What Young Lawyers Should Know About Ethics and Risk Management (Singapore Law Gazette, August 2021)
- Professional Ethics – An Update (Singapore Law Gazette, January 2021)
- Business Transactions Between Solicitors and Their Clients (Singapore Law Gazette, November 2020)
- Lawyers’ Duties to Prospective Clients (Singapore Law Gazette, April 2019)
Court Etiquette and Professional Courtesy
- Try A Little Kindness (Singapore Law Gazette, December 2021)
- Giving 2 Working Days’ Notice Before Entering Default Judgment (Singapore Law Gazette, February 2021)
- Why Etiquette Matters – Inspirations from C C Tan Award Recipients (Singapore Law Gazette, August 2020)
- Court Etiquette and Public Confidence (Singapore Law Gazette, December 2016)
- New Protocol for Judicial Feedback on Inappropriate Conduct in Court (Singapore Law Gazette, October 2016)
Executive Appointments
- Executive Appointments: A Guide for Busy Practitioners (Singapore Law Gazette, February 2022)
Professional Obligations
- Back to Basics: Undertakings (Singapore Law Gazette, April 2024)
- Digital Payments from Client Accounts (Singapore Law Gazette, September 2023)
- Reflecting on What It Means to be an Ethical Lawyer (Special Issue for Mass Call 2023)
- Six Ethics Resources from the Law Society (Special Issue for Mass Call 2023)
- Raise Your Ethics IQ … with the Professional Ethics Digest 2020 (Singapore Law Gazette, March 2021)
- Professional Ethics – An Update (Singapore Law Gazette, January 2021)
- Much Ado About Nothing: The Civil Procedural and Ethical Perils of Inaction (Singapore Law Gazette, December 2019)
- Managing Legal and Ethical Risks in Cross-Jurisdictional Transactions (Singapore Law Gazette, November 2019)
- Ethics in Advocacy – How Far Can You Go? (Singapore Law Gazette, October 2019)
- Looking for Help or Asking for Trouble? (Singapore Law Gazette, September 2018)
- Disruptive Legal Technologies – Is Ethics Catching Up? (Singapore Law Gazette, August 2018)
- Debunking the Myths About Alternative Fee Arrangements: Interviews with Three Practitioners (Singapore Law Gazette, July 2018)
- Recklessly Misleading the Court in Singapore and England (Singapore Law Gazette, October 2017)
- Ethical Issues for Family Lawyers (Singapore Law Gazette, November 2016)
Young Lawyers
- Ethical Dilemmas and Where to Find Them (Singapore Law Gazette, Mass Call Special Issue, August 2022)
- Tips for Rookie Lawyers (Singapore Law Gazette, Mass Call Special Issue, August 2019)
- Letter from a Litigation Lawyer (Singapore Law Gazette, Mass Call Special Issue, August 2019)
- Letter from a Corporate Lawyer (Singapore Law Gazette, Mass Call Special Issue, August 2019)
- Ethics and Professional Practice (Singapore Law Gazette, Special Issue for Newly Called and Young Lawyers, August 2016)
- Why a Resilient Professional Identity Matters (Singapore Law Gazette, The Young Lawyers’ Supplement, 2014)
- Surviving the Associate Years (Singapore Law Gazette, The Young Lawyers’ Supplement, 2014)
- Surviving Your First Year in Practice (Singapore Law Gazette, The Young Lawyers’ Supplement, 2013)
- One Man’s Experience (Singapore Law Gazette, The Young Lawyers’ Supplement, 2013)
- The Calling of an Advocate (Singapore Law Gazette, Special Supplement, 2011)
The Ethics Assist Helpline
- The Ethics Assist Helpline (Singapore Law Gazette, June 2024)
The Ethics Assist Helpline
The Ethics Assist Helpline is a confidential service designed to allow legal practitioners to obtain guidance on ethical issues in a manner that is less formal than a request to the Advisory Committee.
Legal practitioners seeking ethical guidance may call the Ethics Assist Secretariat at 6530-0222, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm (the helpline is closed on weekends and public holidays).
The Ethics Assist Helpline is designed exclusively for Law Society members and is not intended for public use.
Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Guidance provided by the Ethics Assist Helpline and this infographic which contains some useful links for more information.
Notice: Closure of the Ethics Assist Helpline for the Festive Season
Please note that the Ethics Assist Helpline will be closed for the festive season from 23 December 2024 to 2 January 2025.
Legal practitioners requiring assistance during this period may call our Members’ Assistance & Care Helpline (“MACH“) at 6530-0213. Calls to MACH are generally accepted from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please click here for more information on MACH.
