Opening Address by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law, Edwin Tong SC at Pro Bono SG Awards 2025

28 MAR 2025

Mr Dinesh Dhillon and Ms Vivienne Lim
Chairman and Vice Chairman of Pro Bono SG

Mr Thio Shen Yi SC
Fundraising Chairman of Pro Bono SG

Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Members and Friends of the Bar

I. Introduction

  1. Good evening to all of you.
  1. This evening, we are here to witness and celebrate the profound impact and unwavering commitment of Pro Bono SG and its partners, donors, as well as its many volunteers.

II. Pro Bono Work

  1. I think many of us in this room will agree that pro bono work is not just an act of charity.
  1. It is really essential to the proper functioning of our legal system in Singapore. It reinforces the fundamental values of justice and fairness. It ensures our legal system is accessible to everyone, and not just by a few select privileged ones in the community.
  1. By ensuring access to justice and ensuring it is a cornerstone of our legal system, we will be able to maintain and foster trust in this system.
  1. Pro bono work expands our understanding of what justice entails.
  1. In fact, it challenges us as legal professionals to think beyond traditional client relationships, to consider the broader social implications of the work we do, and also encourages us to use our expertise for the greater good.
  1. Indeed, the profession has a responsibility to ensure that the law serves everyone, not just the privileged few. I would say it is our collective duty to uphold this responsibility.

III. MinLaw’s Access to Justice Efforts

  1. Access to justice is therefore a very key part of my Ministry’s work.
  1. Internationally, we are ranked amongst the top in the world and we ticked almost every other legal-related indicators. For example, Singapore’s Rule of Law was ranked 3rd in IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024.
  1. So I think we all agree that we have first-class legal system, first-class and well-respected judiciary. But having a first-class legal system is one thing, having it being made accessible to everyone in our system and society is quite something else.
  1. The Government has been delivering civil legal aid through the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) to deserving cases since 1958. In fact, we were the very first state in Southeast Asia to have a legal aid scheme.
  1. To date, LAB has received almost 420,000 applications for legal aid and advice, for civil matters. These range from matrimonial and family issues to estate matters and civil claims. LAB, together with over 161 active Assigned Solicitors, has been one of the bedrock anchors of our legal system.
  1. In 2015, we took this a little further.

(1) As you all know, the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) has been something that has been championed by the Bar for many years. In 2015, we decided, as a Government, to support CLAS even further. CLAS was set up forty years ago, to provide criminal defence aid, to vulnerable persons facing non-capital charges in Singapore.

(2) The scheme was then privately funded by the Law Society of Singapore, as well as the vagaries of goodwill donations. But we decided that we should institutionalise the availability of CLAS, and we supported CLAS to ensure more volunteer lawyers could provide a broader representation to support even more in the community.

  1. More recently, we thought we could expand this a little bit more. So, in December 2022, the Government institutionalised criminal defence aid for accused persons, by setting up the Public Defender’s Office (PDO).
  1. At the same time, we also took some steps to expand the means test criteria from the 25 th income percentile to the 35 th income percentile, an increase of 10 percentage points to ensure that more people in our society and community will fall within the means test criteria. We also expanded the coverage of the different types of offences – those who worked with CLAS before PDO will know that we used to have a narrow definition what class of offences could receive assistance – we have expanded that. So, eligible Singaporeans as well as Permanent Residents are now able to avail themselves of this after they pass the merits test.
  1. Over the last two and a half years or so, the PDO has built up a very good team of 20 defence lawyers, led by the Chief Public Defender. Their task, even though they sit within the Government system, is to ensure the best defence is afforded to every individual that comes their way. I hear from the Chief Public Defender that he and his officers had received good feedback from the Judges, on the quality of work done, and this is a measure by which we judge the PDO, that for every case, they put their best foot forward and put their best case forward, and get the best outcome for every client that comes their way.
  1. Today, PDO co-delivers criminal defence aid with Pro Bono SG and CLAS lawyers. I am very proud to say that PDO has received around 3,600 applications in the 2.5 years it has been operating, with about 1,800 of them found to be eligible for aid.
  1. In the same way, I am also very proud of PDO’s partnership with Pro Bono SG and CLAS. This shows that the Government coming in has not dampened the spirit in wanting to continue to serve, to help, to step forward. Whether through CLAS, or as an Assigned Solicitor for LAB, I believe there is always merit in lawyers being involved and committed, to support the needs of ordinary citizens.
  1. So let me, this evening, extend my deepest gratitude to every single CLAS volunteer lawyer, as we celebrate this year the 40th anniversary of CLAS. As a further mark of the Government’s commitment to pro bono and CLAS, this evening, I am very happy to share that MinLaw has committed about $3 million over the next two years, to support Pro Bono SG’s key programmes, including CLAS. We want to do our part to continue to institutionalise access to justice in a firm way in Singapore so that this remains a bedrock of our legal system.

IV. Pro Bono is a Whole-of-Society Effort

  1. On this note, let me also take the opportunity to applaud Pro Bono SG, as well as the many partners within the legal fraternity and outside. We have come together this evening in a spectacular way. I am so glad to see so many of you here, friends of the Bar, and many of my ex-colleagues that I recognise as well.
  1. I want to say a big thank you to your strong fundraising capabilities. This has helped a lot – to give engine to the programmes that Pro Bono SG has. Tonight, we have almost doubled from around $1.5 million three years ago to about almost $3 million in the latest financial year – this is the largest amount that has been raised to date.
  1. My warmest congratulations to the fundraising team, and an even bigger thank you to all those out there who supported the programmes so generously.
  1. In doing so, over the last year, we have helped about 15,000 individuals and social impact organisations.
  1. There have been 660 and counting active volunteer lawyers stepping forward to support the programmes. To go further upstream, whilst law students are still in school, we see about 230 law school undergraduates, as well as another 200 non-legal volunteers stepping forward to play a part in the many programmes. I want to thank our non-legal volunteers, whose role is to make sure that the problems we encounter are not just solved by legal analysis or legal representation.
  1. Indeed, we all know from seeing the many cases, that when individuals and families encounter legal problems, they might not start as a legal problem. Often, they do not. We find ourselves having to go beyond providing legal aid and assistance. Sometimes, they help seekers who come to us, they require financial assistance.
  1. Very often, they require a stronger social support network, and this is where our pro bono volunteers sometimes offer counselling, oftentimes also mental health interventions. And both lawyers, as well as those from other professions, including the social service professionals, have been contributing their time, talent, their own expertise to provide more holistic support to those in need.
  1. If we were to ask any of the pro bono lawyers here this evening, I am sure that all of them will be able to share how much they have touched the lives of the individuals and families, showing that our volunteers go the extra mile to journey with the clients – not just through legal challenges, but also life’s challenges, showing empathy and providing care, as any counsellor or friend would.
  1. I am very glad that all of us present here today share this ethos of compassion and service for all, especially for the most vulnerable amongst us in our society.
  1. Pro Bono SG organised the inaugural Pro Bono Weeks earlier this year, which culminated in the Just Jalan charity walk. Just Jalan means just walk. But I understand some of you have that competitive spirit in you and the walk turned into jogs and runs. This is a great way to rally the legal fraternity and other partners for a good cause. I want to say that it is not just the local Bar, but also our foreign law firms, who have played a big part in Just Jalan as well as the other related programmes.
  1. Recently, I attended the opening of Freshfields’ new and expanded office in Singapore. As you know, with every office opening, there tends to be fanfare and oftentimes, the guests at these openings walk away with a door gift. But this time round, they decided that in lieu of door gifts, they donated $45 per guest who attended to Pro Bono SG – to represent 45 years since Freshfields first set up in Singapore in 1980. I thought this was a very wonderful gesture – so thank you, Freshfields.
  1. Pro Bono SG has also worked with DLA Piper and the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association to develop the Singapore In-House Legal Counsel Pro Bono Guide, which was released earlier this year. I hope it will inspire and empower even more in-house counsels to integrate pro bono work into their practice.

V. Conclusion

  1. Finally, I thought I would conclude with a quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a leading legal jurist, who is also activist, who was on the United States’ Supreme Court bench. She said, “Lawyers have a license to practice law for monopoly on certain services. But for that privilege and status, lawyers have an obligation to provide legal services to those without the wherewithal to pay, to respond to needs outside themselves, to help repair tears in their communities.”
  1. I thought this was a very meaningful quote because it reflects what we do, and more importantly, why we do it.
  1. As we commemorate 60 years of independence (SG60) this year, I think we can all reflect on the spirit of community and care that lies at the heart of our nation.
  1. I think in this regard, the work that has been done by Pro Bono SG, as well as all the constituents, organisations, really deserves a special mention.
  1. This evening, we will honour the invaluable contributions of the many volunteers, donors and partners, who have played a crucial role in helping us strengthen our justice system and help us to continue to anchor delivery of pro bono services and most importantly, to ensure our legal system remains open and accessible to all. This dedication and compassion ensure that justice is not just a privilege for some.
  1. So I thank all of you very much for being here, for being a big part of Pro Bono SG’s work, and for your generous contributions.
  1. Thank you very much.

Last updated on 28 March 2025