SINGAPORE — An online post in September 2025, which made allegations of workplace bullying at the Law Society of Singapore, has sparked an ongoing probe at the organisation.
The Straits Times understands the allegations come in the wake of a spate of resignations at the Law Society in 2025, with about a third of more than 70 full-time employees leaving their jobs.
A chief executive had quit less than four months into the job. Separately, the departure of a long-time senior executive spurred further resignations.
At one point in time, the human resources department was unstaffed.
The investigation, which is being conducted by TSMP Law Corporation, was commissioned by the Law Society's audit committee in September.
When asked about the probe, TSMP's joint managing partner, Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi, said a progress report has been submitted to the audit committee.
He declined to give further details.
ST understands a number of former and current employees were interviewed between October and December.
A number of other issues were highlighted during the probe.
They include allegations of excessive spending during overseas trips, which had prompted several council members of the Law Society to raise concerns about the financial claims.
Under the organisation's protocol, expenses below $50,000 do not have to be authorised by the council, which has 21 members.
Such claims need to be approved only by the executive committee, or Exco, a subgroup of the council comprising eight members.
The writer of the online post had also complained about how an allegation of sexual harassment was handled.
ST spoke to a number of former and current employees who said they were familiar with the issues raised in the online post.
One of them even prepared a statutory declaration before a Commissioner for Oaths to confirm the information that was provided to the TSMP team.
Several employees who spoke to ST asked to remain anonymous because they feared reprisal.
They described a work culture where they were expected to be available 24/7.
They said they were inundated with incessant text messages at all times of the day, including weekends and while they were on leave.
One showed ST a stack of printed-out WhatsApp chat messages.
Staff were also told to perform tasks outside their job scope, such as parking cars and dealing with flight bookings.
They said they were spoken to in condescending tones in front of other staff.
They said employees feared being sacked for not carrying out tasks swiftly or satisfactorily.
ST has contacted the Law Society for comment.
The professional body for lawyers was in the news recently following the appointment of Dinesh Singh Dhillon as its new president.
Dhillon was announced in November as president of the organisation for 2026.
The current president, Lisa Sam, will remain on the council.
Samuel Chacko, who had lost the internal election to Dhillon, will also be a council member.
The council typically comprises 15 elected members, three members appointed by the law minister, and another three co-opted by the council.
All council members serve a two-year term.
Internal voting for the four office bearers — the president, two vice-presidents and treasurer — is held every year among the council members.
When Dhillon, a ministerial appointee, put himself up for the post of president and eventually won the internal vote, it caused disquiet among some members of the society.
On Nov 24, a group of members, led by Peter Cuthbert Low and Chandra Mohan Nair, submitted a request to the Law Society to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
They proposed to pass a resolution that the president of the body must be an elected member of the council.
On Dec 3, a meeting involving Law Minister Edwin Tong was held with three factions to resolve the unhappiness, Senior Counsel Jimmy Yim had earlier told ST.
The groups comprised two members of the current council including Sam; the office-bearers of the incoming council including Dhillon; and Low and Nair.
On Dec 5, Law Society members were invited to a tea session held on Dec 10 for both councils to address their queries and concerns.
No mention was made of the EGM request.
On Dec 9, Low and Nair told the Law Society that they would be holding the EGM because the council decided not to hold one.
The proposed resolution — worded differently from the original — seeks to place on record the view that only an elected council member should become president.
On Dec 10, criminal lawyer Sunil Sudheesan entered the fray.
He intends to seek a vote of no confidence at the EGM against members of the incoming council who had voted for a ministerial appointee to be president.
His intended motion also seeks the resignation of members of the current council who had decided not to call for an EGM.
On Dec 12, a third motion was added. Another lawyer, Manimaran Arumugam, proposed a slight amendment to Low and Nair's motion.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.