Singapore record 538 lawyers left the profession in 2021

Today Singapore reports

A record 538 lawyers left the profession last year, most of whom were in the junior category of lawyers who have practised for less than five years, Law Society president Adrian Tan said on Monday (Jan 10).

Among the junior category alone, the Law Society saw a record high of 310 exits, making up nearly 60 per cent of last year’s resignations. This coincided with a record low number of new lawyers being called to the bar in 2021, he added.

Speaking during the opening of the Legal Year 2022 ceremony, Mr Tan said the departures came in the midst of the “great resignation” sweeping some parts of the world where some workers are said to be quitting after the pandemic caused them to re-evaluate their priorities.

Mr Tan had raised this in a previous interview with TODAY, where he cited the “great resignation” as among the biggest challenges confronting the legal profession.

On Monday, he noted that the number of departures has hovered between 380 and 430 lawyers a year in the last four years. But the number last year represents an “alarming” year-on-year increase of over 30 per cent.

Source:  https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/over-30-spike-number-lawyers-who-quit-2021-mostly-those-under-5-years-experience-law-society-1787306