Finding a Lawyer or Free Legal Help in Singapore: Law Society Directory, Legal Aid Board and Community Clinics

Direct answer: This guide is for people in Singapore who need to locate a lawyer, verify a registration record, or find free legal help. It explains official directories, application and appointment routes, and basic fee rules; it does not assess your matter, endorse a provider, or predict an outcome.

This is general legal information. The Judiciary and People’s Association pages were last updated on 03 March 2026 and 14 January 2026; the Pro Bono SG clinic list states “Accurate as of Sep 2026.”

Finding a Lawyer by Legal Area

The Law Society of Singapore’s “Find A Featured Lawyer/Law Firm” directory allows searches by area of law. Categories include Accident & Personal Injury Claims, Criminal, Divorce & Family Matters, Employment Law, Intellectual Property, Community Law and other listed practice areas.

The directory expressly states that it is not a complete list and that the listings are paid by advertising. A listing should therefore be treated as an advertisement, not as a recommendation, ranking or proof that the provider is suitable for a particular matter.

Checking a Lawyer or Law Practice’s Registration

Use the Ministry of Law’s Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) integrated search to check the official record. The page says it lists all Singapore solicitors with a current practising certificate from the Supreme Court of Singapore, as well as foreign lawyers, individuals and law practice entities registered with the LSRA.

Search under “Lawyers” or “Law Practices”. Advanced filters include practice area, registration type, law practice type, practice size and licence or registration status. Status options include “Active” and “Terminated on/after 18 November 2015”.

The result shows what the official register reports about identity, status, type and size. It does not assess competence, suitability, availability, fees or the likely result of a matter. The Ministry of Law also makes no warranty or representation regarding the search data’s accuracy, completeness or reliability, so a result is not an absolute guarantee that every detail is correct.

The search page also uses a CAPTCHA: “Type the text you see into the box below”. A person must complete this step, and the search cannot be done automatically through this guide.

Applying for Help from the Legal Aid Bureau

The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) says Legal Aid is available to:

Singapore citizens and permanent residents residing in Singapore; and
citizens or residents of contracting states involved in applications under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

If an applicant is below 21, a parent or guardian must apply on the applicant’s behalf.

The applicable test depends on the service requested:

For Legal Advice and Assistance matters, the applicant must pass the Means Test.
For Legal Aid, the applicant must pass both the Means Test and Merits Test.

Passing both tests does not guarantee assistance. The Director of Legal Aid may still refuse legal aid if it appears unreasonable that the applicant should receive it in the particular circumstances.

Under the LAB application route, an applicant can register the case online or use the OneMinLaw Portal to make an appointment to speak with a MinLaw or LAB officer before visiting the Ministry of Law Services Centre. Walk-ins are not accepted. An applicant who registers online must make an appointment through the portal within three working days after the registration date.

Counter services and legal advice sessions at the Ministry of Law Services Centre are conducted by video conference. At the appointment, basic questions are asked about the case facts and financial situation as part of the “preliminary means test”. A person seeking only legal advice will be able to consult the Duty Lawyer.

The “Choose your own Assigned Solicitor” Programme gives eligible applicants the option to select preferred Assigned Solicitors for divorce cases, excluding Syariah divorce cases. It is open to applicants who want to initiate divorce proceedings but have not commenced them. The process may differ for child-removal or child-abduction applications under the Hague Convention.

Community Legal Clinics and Other Free Help

The Judiciary describes a Community Legal Clinic session as free, basic one-to-one legal guidance for personal matters lasting about 20 minutes. Contact Pro Bono SG’s legal clinic list for more information. Clinics are generally by appointment only.

Most clinics on the Pro Bono SG list address personal legal matters rather than business or commercial issues. The stated restrictions for the listed clinics are that the individual must be unable to afford a lawyer, must not already have received advice from a lawyer, must be seeking guidance for their own matter rather than someone else’s, and must be dealing with a personal rather than a business or commercial matter.

Pro Bono SG describes its list as non-comprehensive. These are individual clinic details, not all-clinic arrangements:

Central Singapore CDC: 490 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #07-11 HDB Hub Via Biz Three Lift Lobby 1, Singapore 310490 (Near Toa Payoh MRT Station). Listed hours are the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 7.00pm to 9.00pm.
Community Law Centre @ Realm of Tranquility: Blk 547, Woodlands Drive 16, #01-177, Singapore 730547. Listed hours are Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 12.00 pm / 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm, closed on weekends and public holidays.

For urgent legal help, Pro Bono SG directs users to its hotline at 6536 0650 or the State Courts Help Centre. It also states that it may not have the latest information for clinics it does not run and makes no representation about the skills, experience or suitability of listed clinics.

The People’s Association Legal Advice Service is available at selected Community Clubs, where volunteer lawyers and legal counsels offer legal advice. The page links to a “Legal Services” list stated to be current as at 1 November 2025.

The Singapore Courts civil-case help page states that courts cannot provide legal advice or recommend lawyers. It directs readers to LAB, the People’s Association and Pro Bono SG. The Judiciary’s broader legal help and support page also separates channels for civil, criminal, family, arbitration and simplified POHA matters and confirms the right to engage a lawyer or represent oneself in court.

Understanding Lawyers’ Fees

The Law Society’s legal costs and disputes guidance says lawyers are entitled to reasonable fees. These generally have two components:

Professional fees, charged for the work done; and
Disbursements, covering out-of-pocket expenditure such as photocopying charges and filing fees paid to the courts.

For non-contentious work, including wills, contracts and conveyancing, the stated charging bases are:

a fixed fee: an agreed amount irrespective of the volume of work;
a non-refundable retainer or deposit, which should be refunded if the instruction to act is terminated prematurely or the matter is not proceeded with subsequently; or
payment on a time-related basis.

For a contentious matter, a lawyer must provide an estimate of fees and disbursements. The lawyer must also advise the client if the estimate has substantially changed and give the reason for that change. Even an agreed fee arrangement may be challenged in court on grounds of fairness and reasonableness.

It is prohibited by law for a lawyer and client to agree in a contentious matter that legal costs are payable only if the matter succeeds. This is commonly called a “contingency fee”.

There is currently no guideline or recommended structure for lawyers’ fees because of Singapore’s anti-competition laws. Obtain the proposed charging basis and ask which professional work and disbursements are included.

If a bill is disputed, request an itemised bill of costs. It should describe the work done since the lawyer began acting and may record time spent on research, drafting correspondence, attending court and perusing documents.

If mediation does not resolve the dispute, the Law Society Cost Dispute Resolve Scheme provides a simple and expedited arbitration procedure. Under the Legal Profession Act, a client or lawyer may also apply to court for a formal assessment, called “taxation”, of the bill. The application must be filed within one year from delivery of the bill.

Overcharging is prohibited under the Conduct Rules, but a disagreement about the amount charged is not, by itself, professional misconduct.

What Lawson Can and Cannot Do

Lawson can explain official routes in plain English, organise contact details and source distinctions, and help prepare questions or a document checklist for a lawyer, LAB or clinic. It can also organise an itemised bill so that the headings and entries are easier to review.

Lawson cannot give personalised legal advice, decide whether LAB will approve an application, assess the merits of a dispute, select or endorse a lawyer, or predict an outcome. It does not act for readers or guarantee eligibility, representation, a service or a result.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Law Society “Featured Lawyer/Law Firm” listing an endorsement?

No. The directory states that its listings are paid advertising and that it is not a complete list. Use the separate LSRA search when checking an official registration or status record.

Does an LSRA result show which lawyer is suitable for my matter?

No. It reports registration and status information, not competence, suitability, fees or likely results. The Ministry of Law also disclaims the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the search data.

Will passing LAB’s Means and Merits Tests guarantee legal aid?

No. The Director of Legal Aid retains discretion to refuse assistance in the circumstances described by LAB. The tests are eligibility requirements, not an automatic entitlement.

Can a Community Legal Clinic assist with a business or commercial issue?

The Pro Bono SG guidance focuses the listed clinics on personal legal matters and excludes business and commercial issues from its stated restrictions. Do not assume that a general legal clinic will accept a commercial matter.

What can I do if I disagree with a lawyer’s bill?

Request an itemised bill and identify the disputed entries. If mediation is unsuccessful, the Law Society scheme or court taxation may be available, subject to the applicable procedural requirements.